PLACE
by Zexion666
Summary: After being blown up, a little change of scenery isn't SO bad...right?
1. Diego Garcia Chapter 1

I read...ALOT. Especially Alan Dean Foster's Transformers adaptation books -LOVE THEM!  
I'm using elements of both to write "PLACE".  
Longarm is in the books, not the movie (Boo).  
And, yes, in the book, it talks about the Autobots eating metal and other such debris to replenish themselves.  
So yeah, this is the start of the sequal to All That Jazz...for those who liked it...  
:D

~Zex

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers (booboo)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

PLACE

Chapter 1: A new place

Amy could feel Longarm watching her as she munched the handful of metal debris. It felt like eating potato chips, except it was metal, and Amy felt ridiculous. She inspected the next piece of metal as she chewed. Piece of a car fender, casing from a weapon, marking of a jet fighter...Amy brushed her hands together then set them in her lap.

"Better?" Longarm asked of the silent femme.

Amy made a noise like clearing her throat, but sounded like metal grinding, and wires crackling. She attempted to speak for the umpteenth time since sitting down with Longarm in the aircraft hangar, but as every time before – nothing came out.

"I apologize for Ratchet's absence. There was an emergency overseas, and the chief medical officer has gotten involved."

Amy felt eyes on her, and looked up at the raised catwalk of computers. Major Lennox leaned on the railing, watching the pair below. The femme raised a hand up, but not out, and waved it slightly.

Lennox acknowledged Amy's wave with an upward twitch of his fingers and hand.

"You'll have to excuse Major Lennox." Long arm said.

Amy lowered her head and her gaze back to the much larger mech sitting on a crate used for transporting aircraft parts. She tilted her head to try an convey the question she wanted to ask.

"The humans here, although somewhat accustomed to our presence, are still curious when an unfamiliar Autobot makes their way to Earth."

Amy started. Earth. She looked at her hands as she thought. If this was Earth, why had she never met this Autobot before? Longarm had mentioned something called Nest. Nest what? What did it stand for? Why were the Autobots involved? _Which_ Autobots were involved?

"Blazer?" Longarm reached out, and grasped her small shoulder in his large hand.

Amy lifted her head. This was too strange. Lennox didn't know her, Longarm was unfamiliar to her. She prayed Ratchet could shed some light on the subject upon his return.

"Major, we have incoming." One of the soldiers called from his console. "It's the Autobots' C-17. We have their IDC."

"Give them clearance!" Lennox called over his shoulder then turned back to the burned-out looking bot sitting on the floor. "Longarm."

Amy jumped behind Longarm.

Lennox shrugged, and shook his head. "Okay, um you want me to make an announcement about her when they land?"

"No, thank you, Major. I think that would only agitate the situation.

Lennox raised an eyebrow at Longarm. Longarm shrugged, turned his head, and glanced at Amy with blue optics then turned to look back up at the human Major.

Major Lennox sighed, and shook his head as he walked away to do something.

Amy folded her arms. Maybe nothing. Maybe something was wrong with Amy.

Longarm started toward the hangar doors. Amy realized she was exposed to a few staring human, and scurried after Longarm. She didn't so much feel shy than completely awkward, and out of place. Amy had never seen a C-17 up close, let alone watched one land, so it was quite spectacular to watch such a large aircraft land with as much delicacy and control as an airliner, or commuter plane. The back hatch opened before the craft touched the ground, and Amy would have held her breath - had she any - but nothing fell out as she had thought it would.

Longarm had heard Amy gasp, and chuckled. "Strange, isn't it?"

Amy nodded.

"I'm not so curious about the C-17's landing procedures to inquire it of Major Lennox." Longarm shrugged as Amy tugged on his arm. He turned. "I would much prefer you to stand where I can see you."

Amy shook her head.

"You have nothing to fear from the Autobots. They will not hurt you, Blazer." Longarm reached an arm behind himself, and wrapped it around the hiding femme. He pushed her out from his shadow as the C-17 came to a stop some twenty-something meters away in its designated area.

Longarm turned to look at something, and Amy dashed behind him. Longarm sighed, turned, picked up the femme by her shoulders, and deposited her in front of him again.

Amy felt all exposed standing on the tarmac with no alt mode. She faced Longarm with a pleading purse of her lips.

The sound of a soft car engine made Amy turn. The car was sleek, and beautiful, but looked like it could open up its hood and eat you.

Amy watched it as it transformed. The mech that resulted had the same beautiful but dangerous body, and stared at Amy with intrigued blue optics. Amy's head reached about to his chest, and made her feel all the more dwarfed.

_What?_ Amy thought. _Why is he staring at me like that?_

"Sideswipe, this is Blazer. She arrived early this evening." Longarm explained.

The silver mech nodded slowly once, but didn't speak.

"How is your arm since your battle in Egypt?" Longarm asked.

Sideswipe nodded again the same way, and did not speak.

Amy shifted under the silver mech's gaze. She looked at Longarm; the larger mech shrugged.

"Will our over-anxious human friends be staying with us before returning to America?" Longarm inquired, mostly to see if the mech would respond or not.

Sideswipe slowly approached Amy on his wheel feet. He started to reach out, but recoiled his hand, transformed, and peeled away.

Amy turned, and watched him leave then slowly looked up at Longarm.

Longarm gave a shrug. "Don't look at me, child. I could no sooner tell you your future."

Amy sighed, and shook her head. Wherever this place was, she felt she might have just acquired a stalker.

Longarm "introduced" Amy to Ratchet by taking her to the C-17. Ratchet sat inside, patching up Bumblebee's neck. He regarded Longarm without turning away from his work.

Big, black, and menacing approached Amy, and leaned over to inspect her face. "I don't recognize this bot." Ironhide raised a cannon-bearing arm.

"Easy, Ironhide." Optimus patted his friend on the shoulder. "Though I have to agree with him. This Cybertronian is unfamiliar to me."

Longarm looked at Amy. "Why don't you go make Bumblebee more comfortable? He knows what it's like to be absent a voice."

Amy considered the three tall mechs standing around her then nodded. Anything to get out of what she will forever think of as "the circle of doom".

As the femme hesitantly approached Bumblebee, Longarm turned to Optimus.

"I don't believe she _is_ from Cybertron, sir."

Optimus raised an optic ridge, and glanced at the femme. She was small, and seemed naïve, though not being able to speak gave one that persona. The Autobot leader turned back to Longarm. "Decepticon?"

"No, sir. She isn't a design I recognize. No Autobot _or_ Decepticon looks the way she does." Longarm folded his arms. "She can not speak, otherwise I would ask her where she came from."

"Was there an atmospheric disturbance?" Ironhide asked. "The entry into the atmosphere must have set off the Nest sensors."

"We had no early warning. The only reason we knew Blazer was out there at all was because she fell right into our laps." Long arm turned, and pointed to the beach outside the tarmac. "There, as a matter of fact. She landed abruptly, and looks like she has been through some kind of battle."

"But that isn't what worries you." Optimus said matter-of-factly.

Ironhide nodded. "I can smell the Takion radiation on her; with that much roaming through her systems, she should be offline."

It was several megacycles of silence as Amy sat near Bumblebee, and watched Ratchet work on his vocal processors.

"So, what's your story?" Ratchet finally asked as he continued to mend Bumblebee's throat.

The blue femme blinked her optic casings, and her vents make a sighing sound.

Ratchet didn't ask again, just figured the femme was too shy, or too stubborn to reply. He did, however take a bioscan of the femme when she looked away for a moment. She looked back quickly, but it was plenty of time to scan her.

The CMO narrowed his blue optics, his gaze briefly meeting Bumblebee's. -_You can feel it, can't you?-_

The voiceless yellow mech nodded slowly. -Takions.- The mech texted to Ratchet.

Ratchet gave a twitch of his head as an acknowledging nod.

Amy rubbed the bridge of her nose, and sighed. _I wonder what they're talking about. I can hear the buzz of intercom channels - though I didn't notice it until Bumblebee pointed it out to me that day._ She sighed, and looked up at the ceiling of the C-17. _I wonder what he's doing right now._

Ratchet checked Amy over, and made a molehill out of the mountain Amy thought her lost voice had been.

"Alright, you should be able to talk now." Ratchet's arm transformed from the medilaser to his hand again.

"Thank you." The femme smiled.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "Don't thank me yet." He stood, and walked toward the aircraft's exit. "We have to find you a native vehicle to scan."

Amy shifted her feet then stood up, and trotted after Ratchet. The medic stopped abruptly, and the petite femme bumped into his back.

Ratchet turned. "What?" He stared down at the femme.

Amy looked up at him, rubbing her nose. "Your butt is really hard, do you know that?"

Ratchet glanced in the general direction of his rear then looked back at Amy. "I don't have time for this."

Amy opened her mouth to say something then closed it, and folded her arms.

"A wise move if I ever saw one." Longarm chuckled.

The femme turned green optics on the tall mech.

Longarm winked. "He'll warm up to you - youngbots are his weakness."

Amy lowered her gaze.

"Has Ratchet repaired your vocalizer?" Longarm started toward the nearest hangar.

"Yes." The femme said softly as she had to nearly jog to keep up with Longarm's long stride.

Longarm paused so Amy could catch up, and even let her go a few strides ahead of him. "Excellent," He smiled. "Perhaps now you would care to tell us your story."

Amy paused, and hesitated. "Well..."

Longarm knelt in front of the smaller bot. "We are all very curious as to where your abundance of takion radiation originates from."

the femme turned her head up to Longarm, and raised her right optic ridge. "My what?"

A minute or so later, Amy stood in front of a screen depicting Ratchet's scan of her.

"This here is a thermal bioscan I took of you, Blazer" Ratchet said.

Amy nodded slowly. "Okay."

Bumblebee sat on a crate near Amy. He turned, and looked at Ratchet. -I believe humans would say "speak English".- The yellow mech teased on his wide-band text.

Ratchet frowned. "I suppose you _don't_ want your vocalizer repaired then, Bumblebee?"

Amy stifled a snicker.

"Something to add, Blazer, or shall I continue?" Ratchet folded his arms.

Amy nodded with her hand over her mouth. "Continue."

"As I was saying. This bioscan depicts thermal readings any scan would on any orgnism Cybertron or Organic; the colorless point being the hottest part of the body."

"In this case, the spark." Jolt added.

the picture blacked out save for what looked like millions of red particles floating around the scan against a silhouette of Amy sitting as she had been on the C-17.

"Looks like dust." Lennox said.

"A good guess, Major. They are particles of takion radiation." Ratchet informed.

Epps uncrossed his eyes, and sat up. "What radiation?"

"Takion." Ironhide said, knowing the medic did not like to repeat himself.

Ratchet continued. "It is a form of energy that - according to Cybertron scientists - is associated with inter-dimensional travel."

Lennox slowly shook his head. "So, that means."

"Such radiation," Optimus interjected. "Has a very high concentration count. It would take a force equal to one hundred thousand atomic bombs to create such an energy."

"So, somebody gotta blow up somethin' really big to make this stuff?" Epps eyes grew wide. "The hell did little miss robot do? Blow up a planet?"

"Impossible." Sideswipe said. "No Autobot would be that brash."

"How about if it was going to eat Cybertron?" Amy stood up.

The room went silent as all organic eyes and robotic optics turned to the femme.

Amy wished she would shrink, but knew that would get her nowhere. "It was, you know, and it wouldn't have stopped there."

Lennox snorted. "Planets don't eat each other." There was no counter argument, or agreement. "Do they?" His voice rose slightly in pitch.

"Y'know ah wead thith thtowy once that thaid thith pwanet thang ate the fouw moons of Nebulon!" Mudflap boasted.

"The hell you takin' 'bout you stupid ass?" Skids punched his twin's arm.

"Ith twue, yo!" Mudflap shoved Skids.

"Nuh-uh, dumbass! You didn' hear nothin' like dat!" Skids pushed Mudflap to the ground, and wrestled him, both swining arms, and nailing punches to the other.

Amy watched unblinking as they fought. Behind her, Bumblebee sighed, walked toward them, grabbed one, and then the other.

"Ah, Bumbowbee!" Mudflap flailed.

Amy gasped. She didn't hear what came next, just had a flash of Bebop saying the same name. _Bumbowobee._

Bumblebee smashed the twins together, and growled at them.

"Bwing it on, Bumbowbee!" Mudflap shook his fists at the mech.

"Is on now, bitch!" Skids flailed.

"Get them out of here!" Ironhide roared.

"Cut it out, you guys!" Lennox shouted.

Amy stood up, stormed toward the squabbling pair. There was only one way to settle this.

"This is ridiculous." Ratchet shook his head, ready to give up on the lecture. So what if the world collapsed? They'd all be sorry they didn't listen then.

Amy grabbed Skids from Bumblebee with no resistance. "You, sit here!" She shoved Skids down next to Ironhide's leg.

The black mech grumbled something.

"I don't gotta stay here, bitch!" Skids huffed.

"Amy leaned over toward the young mech. Call me that again, and you'll be sitting here in pain. _move_, and he's going to step on you." She pointed up at Ironhide, who replied with a vicious smirk. "Test him, I dare you." Amy walked back to Bumblebee.

Skids looked up at Ironhide. The black mech leered at the young green mech.

"Excuse me." Amy took Mudflap from Bumblebee's remaining hand, and held him by one head fin. "Walk."

"Ow, weggo ah me, ah, Ow!" Mudflap whined.

Jolt hopped out of Amy's way as she passed with the small red mech.

"_Sit."_ Amy pushed the mech down behind a crate. "Don't talk, don't look at him, and if you move, I will shoot you."

Mudflap stared with unevenly sized optics.

Amy sat down on the crate Mudflap sat next to, and folded her arms.

Amy nodded to Ratchet. "Continue, please."

"Er...yes." Ratchet made a noise like clearing his throat - an action he picked up from their human companions.

The conversation came down to this. Amy explained about Unicron several times, though none of the Autobots or humans seemed to believe her by the end of the day. It was, however determined that "Blazer's" claims of Unicron would explain the obvious existence of takions around the femme. If she truly was from another dimension as she claimed, then the Autobots had far bigger worries on their hands than Decepticons and Energon at the moment.


	2. Diego Garcia Chapter 2

I read...ALOT. Especially Alan Dean Foster's Transformers adaptation books -LOVE THEM!  
I'm using elements of both to write "PLACE".  
Longarm is in the books, not the movie (Boo).  
And, yes, in the book, it talks about the Autobots eating metal and other such debris to replenish themselves.  
So yeah, this is the start of the sequal to All That Jazz...for those who liked it...  
:D

~Zex

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers (booboo)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

PLACE

Chapter 2

A nice place to be, Amy thought. All things considered, of course. She folded her arms, sighed, and stared out at the sun setting over the vast ocean extending before her. If there were any other place to be than her own world, this would be it. The burned-out blue femme stood knee-deep in the water. She let her fingers tips brush the waves as she let out a deep, contented sigh.  
At 2 AM there was virtually no one around to test her patience, or tell her she may or may not be stuck in this reality indefinitely. There was only the ocean, the sky…and maybe the bot who has been hiding behind the nearest C-17 for an hour, and may or may not be watching Amy intently. The femme thought about turning around, and saying something inviting to the bot, but decided she didn't mind sitting, and watching the waves for a few more hours.  
The sound of small engines revving, and tires shushing through the sand behind Amy made her turn.  
"Oh." Amy blinked at the trio. "Not who I expected."  
The three single-wheeled bots exchanged identical glances then looked back at Amy.  
The pink one spoke first. "My name is Arcee."  
Amy's optics grew wider. "Arcee?" She looked the femme up and down.  
The pink bot was nearly half Amy's standing size - maybe ten feet if she stretched up off of the spring-like limb supporting her body. The right arm of the pink bot sported a double-barreled gun with a small double cannon mounted on top.  
Amy dragged her gaze from the weapon to the pink bot's face. "Impressive weapon."  
"You ain't seen nothin' yet!" The bot to Arcee's left raised her left arm. She sported no shield, or array of armor. Even Arcee appeared to have more protection than the blue bot. "My cannon her was crafted by the craftiest, most skilled gunfighter on Cybertron."  
Amy could only stare with even wider optics at the cannon half the blue femme cycle's size.  
"Name's Chromia. This weapon makes it so I don't have to get close to any bot I don't want to." She smirked, and narrowed her blue optics.  
Amy nodded. "I'm sure it does." She let a small smile hesitate on her mouth.  
Chromia nodded, and lowered her weapon. Both Chromia and Arcee turned, and looked at the purple bot to Arcee's right.  
Amy hesitantly turned, and looked at the purple bot as well.  
For a moment the purple femme was staring out at the water then slowly realized all optics were on her.  
Her engine hiccupped, and she hopped backward a bit. "What?"  
Arcee nudged the bot, and nodded.  
The purple cycle femme sighed. "My name is Flareup, I'm not partial to plasma weapons."  
"You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to." Amy waved a hand dismissively.  
Flareup shifted, and was silent once again.  
Amy couldn't help notice the wheel attached to Flareup's left arm as a shield, and a spike protruding from her cycle leg's wheel well.  
Awkward silence filled the air between the four femmes before Amy turned back toward the moonlit horizon. "It was nice meeting you."  
The three conversed rapidly amongst themselves in a series of electronic hisses and buzzes.  
"Excuse me," Arcee said. "We were wondering..." She glanced at Chromia then Flareup. "Aren't your systems freezing?"  
Amy started. She looked down at herself, but didn't feel any cold or warm. Something she enjoyed about being an Autobot- she could stand in freezing cold ocean water after midnight, and not get hypothermia.  
"No." Amy brushed her fingers through the water again. "I like the ocean."  
"But...um..." Flareup said softly, but ultimately decided against the protest.  
Chromia let out an annoyed groan, and barked. "You're gonna rust up, kiddo, so I suggest you come up on outta there before your locomotive systems freeze, and we gotta call Ratchet."  
Amy turned her head, and smiled at the triplets. "Thanks for you concern, but I'm really okay."  
Arcee inched forward into the wet sand. "My sisters and I were hoping you would come back to the hangar and talk with us."  
"Talk? We ain't really gonna-!" Chromia exclaimed before Flareup hurried to her blue sister's side, and slapped a hand over her face, which placed a glowing blue arm blade near Chromia's left cheek. Chromia glared at Flareup, and spat some generally nasty thing from under the purple femme's hand.  
Amy narrowed one green optic, and turned to walk further through the water down the beach. "I'm fine. Goodnight."  
"Blazer!" Flareup called.  
"Goodnight!" Arcee quickly interjected before anything else could be said.  
Amy wondered about the cycle triplets all night, even after Chromia and Arcee had words, and left with Flareup in tow. Out of the three, Flareup seemed to be the most docile - then again, docile could just be a front for deadly. It made Amy think of Sunstreaker, and the first time she and Mikaela had seen him slice through Blackout like a stick of melted butter.  
"I bet Flareup does that." Amy mused.  
After Amy witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises in her young adult life, she made her way slowly back in the general direction of the hangar.  
Amy's right leg hesitated, and felt stiff on one step. The femme sighed, rotated her ankle a few times, and rubbed her knees. She started to walk again, took one step, and fell onto her left knee. "Ow." Amy gasped. "Ow?" she asked the tarmac.  
Her thigh felt cramped, and buckled. The femme fell onto her side, and gasped.  
Cold. Her whole body felt cold, and stiff - but that wasn't possible. This had never happened before. Her optics wanted to close, and Amy's mind panicked. Was she dying? Was this it?  
A pair of wheeled feet graced Amy's view as she blacked out, imprinting the vision on her mind.

The wind blew Amy's back-length black hair in a warm breeze as she stood in a familiar flowered field. For a moment she had to smile.  
"At least some things never change." She took a deep breath, but instead of the sweet scent of flowers, and spring, she smelled exhaust, and burning oil. Amy gagged, and coughed, and fell to one knee on the ground.  
Suddenly, she knelt in burning sand, and was rapidly sucked down until all she breathed, felt, and saw was hot sand.  
A bright, blue voice tore through the dark and the grit like a piercing shriek.

Ratchet, Sideswipe, Longarm, and Ironhide were all unexpectedly thrown backward by the blue shockwave the femme emitted as she woke up with an abrupt shriek.  
When Amy came to, she first saw the cannons pointed at her from Ironhide, but paid it no mind.  
She was babbling, she knew, as she explained the dream with word and feelings. The only one who seemed to try and makes sense of it was Optimus as he drew nearer to where Sideswipe had brought the femme into the hangar.  
Unaware of the words coming out of her mouth, Amy blurted as loud as she could, as fast as she could. "I HAVE TO GO TO EGYPT!"  
"No way, man! I am not goin' back to the desert!" Epps shouted.  
"Easy." Lennox patted his friend and fellow soldier's shoulder. "Hey, whatever-your-name-is!"  
"Blazer!" Amy shouted. A multitude of emotions passed over her face then she shook her head. "My name is Blazer, and you'd do well to remember it! I have to go to Egypt! NOW!"  
"Slow down, why Egypt?"  
"Weren't we juth thewe?" Mudflap looked at his twin.  
"I'm wit' Mudflap on dis. I ain't in any big hurry to get back there." Skids said, standing with his twin nearby, but out of the line of fire.  
"Please, Optimus," Amy was almost begging. "He can help me, he said he can help me." She tried to pull away as Sideswipe grabbed her shoulders to calm her down. "Jetfire. He's a seeker, he told me so. He said he can help me get home. I have to get home!" She heaved, her voice capacitor wanting to give out.  
Optimus considered the femme then turned, and approached Ratchet.  
Ratchet watched Amy struggle against then give up as Sideswipe and Bumblebee calmed her down. "Right." He nodded to Optimus. "If she says she has to go to Egypt then she does. What do you think?"  
Optimus shook his head. "I don't know, old friend." This they conversed in Cybertron. Optimus made it a point to always speak the language of their new Earth allies, but this circumstance merited a little anonymity. "Since coming to this planet, I haven't been certain of anything. Long arm says she fell out of the sky, but there was no atmospheric disturbance."  
Ratchet nodded. "Her Takion levels are dangerous to herself and others. We have no way of dissipating them. Jetfire is a seeker, granted an extinguished one. She thinks she can get to him. Claims to have spoken to him."  
Optimus nodded.  
"If going to Egypt can help her then it's the least we can do. I have to be honest, Optimus. she may be stuck in our reality, and with her takion exposure, she may die here."  
Optimus nodded. "Agreed."  
Lennox turned. "Agreed on what?"  
Optimus nodded to the human major. "Ratchet and I will accompany Blazer to Egypt. Human presence is not needed."  
"Yes." Epps murmured prayers of thanks, and made to find something to do before Lennox.  
"We go together." Lennox said.  
"No." Epps shook his head. "Not again..."  
It took some convincing General Morshower, but two and half hours later they had air clearance, and two C-17s took off carrying all Autobots save for Longarm, Ratchet, and Bumblebee.  
"You aren't coming?" Amy asked, a bit put out that Longarm had opted out.  
"I and Ratchet prefer the pacifistic approach. Ratchet thinks his time would be better served working on Bumblebee's damaged vocal processors here than in the desert."  
Amy nodded. "Sure."  
"Blazer, this is your wild goose chase, get a move on!" Ironhide bellowed.  
Amy nodded. "See ya soon, Longarm." She turned with a wave, and ran toward the plane. She felt a tug on her spark, as if she had just said her last goodbyes to Longarm. She shook it off, and was about to board the C-17 when Ironhide slapped something to the side of her head.  
"OW!" Amy gasped as vehicle specs were downloaded into her processors. Her optics fluttered, and twitched, and she could hear Mudflap and Skids laughing somewhere in the background of her mind.  
"Nice." Arcee said. "Looks good on you."  
"Aw, hell no!" Mudflap shouted.  
There was a clunk, and Amy regained her focus. She looked down at herself, and gasped.  
"We had few specs on file, and it was either this or what humans call a jet ski." Ironhide said.  
Sideswipe nodded at Amy. "We changed the color, but it suits you."  
Amy saw a reddish orange color, and a few familiar shapes. "Jazz." she whispered.  
"You know that design?" Flareup asked.  
Amy nodded. "Yeah." She touched her torso, and chest with a hand. "I do."  
"Good. You have an Earth mode." Optimus said behind Amy. "We will be air-dropping in at Jetfire's last known coordinates."  
"Not like he goin' anywhere." Skids folded his arms, and frowned.  
"Can you go back to the airdropping thing? As in skydiving kind of airdropping? Dropping us through the air?" Amy asked, but as if the thought wasn't unnerving enough, she was ordered to transform, and sat nervously by Sideswipe in the belly of one C-17.  
Epps's head bobbed the whole way to something or other music he had on an iPod. Amy tried to think of all the advantages to dropping in rather than driving from the coast, or flying in on a normal airplane, like a normal, sane person.  
I think we've rather established Autobots and military put together make for farthest-from-normal, insane people - er - bots... She thought to herself. And now I look like Jazz because that's all they had. A bit different though. Amy could feel the shortness of the car, but chalked it up to her being short in stature anyway, and paid it no more mind. It helped a little that she was now a drastically different color than Jazz.  
"Beautiful." she murmured out loud by mistake.  
"Thank you." Amy could feel Sideswipe's smirk as he replied.  
"Not you." Amy frowned, and tried to shift away from the mech, but in such a confined space, could only turn her attention inward...inward...she wondered briefly if her pretender holomatter form was still installed, or if her bout with being in a takion (whatever that was) explosion had fried some of her systems.  
With a twist here, and some redirecting of electrical current, a moment later a girl with skin the color of too much cream in her coffee sat in the driver's seat. She shoulder-length golden hair with a silver ribbon tied around it, wore orange jean shorts, and a lopsided orange shirt with a ruffled collar, and yellow slip on shoes with red hearts on them. She opened the same green eyes she always had, and dared a peek in the mirror.  
"Ooh, cute star earrings." Amy smiled at the golden stars dangling from her ears. She frowned slightly when she saw her image. "Woah, I'm orange."

-x-x-x-x-

OHWGAWD! It's the evil flower field.

Now, who knows what that means?


	3. Diego Garcia Chapter 3

I read...ALOT. Especially Alan Dean Foster's Transformers adaptation books -LOVE THEM!  
I'm using elements of both to write "PLACE".  
Longarm is in the books, not the movie (Boo).  
And, yes, in the book, it talks about the Autobots eating metal and other such debris to replenish themselves.  
:D

~Zex

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers (booboo)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'm having second thoughts about this! I'm batshit crazy, y'know! I have visions - _crazyass_ _visions_! I'm not cut out for this, I don't do jumping out of planes!" Amy dug her heels into the metal grating of the C-17 interior. Sparks jumped up and bit her heels, and Sideswipe's tire feet.

"Too late now!" The silver mech pushed the red-orange femme to the hatch. "It's fun, now go!" He shoved the femme out into open air then followed.

Chromia leaped out with resounding whoop, followed by Flareup and Arcee, who laughed at their sister's enthusiasm.

I have a parachute, I have a parachute, Amy thought.

"Blazer, uncurl your body, or your joints will freeze!" Jolt's voice broke through the whooshing air as easy as a bullhorn would.

Amy cautiously opened one optic, the casing already cold, and stiff. She saw the clouds just below her, and stretched out her legs. With her arms still clutched tightly to her body, she stared with wide, terrified optics at the approaching white mass of suspended moisture. She narrowed her optics at the cloud, and stretched out her arms in a streamline diving position.

"Blazer, no!" Lennox called over the radio.

"Let her go, Major." Optimus assured him.

Amy dove into the cloud like diving into a pool. She folded over, and clutched her calves, letting her body somersault through the white mist, and emerged out the other side in her streamlined position again.

Below them stretched desert as far as the eye or optic could see. She saw pyramids in the distance, and smiled. She spread her arms and legs out, and felt a sudden sense of contentment. It was like floating weightless in space, except Amy was completely aware of the ground gradually rushing up to meet her.

"I'm flying." Amy gasped. "I'm flying!" She laughed, and banked right.

"You're _fallin'_, sugar, but I like your style!" Chromia laughed over their comm. systems.

Amy could only laugh. The thought of skydiving had always terrified her, but now, air-dropping through the sky, she wanted to stay suspended forever. She stretched her arms out in front of her to dive toward the ground, and saw them glowing brilliant blue. She smirked, and let the glow wash over her entire body.

The Autobots watched the femme go from falling, to climbing higher, to flying sideways, with all the control of any flying being, but without the propulsion.

"What is she doing?" Ironhide bellowed.

Sideswipe shook his head, and rolled his blue optics. "She's flying."

Amidst Amy's playing around, she could see a blue glow on the horizon, and started to turn toward it, vapor trailing behind her body.

"Blazer, stand down!" Optimus exclaimed. "You're breaking into Egyptian air space, come back!"

As the femme was about to respond, her vision, her world, seemed to telescope forward until she was speeding through starscapes, and worlds, and stopped next to where a hulking mech sat on a sandy rock. He was talking to a group of humans, and a few Autobots. She recognized the twins, and Bumblebee, but before she could see the humans, she was speeding through starscapes again until she came to a stop by a pyramid with its top broken off. Beneath was a metal structure. She looked deeper, and saw amidst the debris, a glowing blue object. She reached down into the metal pyramid, and it flew into her hand as if drawn like a magnet.

Amy didn't stop to think about all of this, she had seen stranger. She examined the object, and tilted her head in thought.

"The Matrix of leadership." A deep bellowed voice said behind her.

The femme turned, and saw six silhouettes behind her. As quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared to reveal a broken carcass with half its chest missing, and its spark laying near it, pulsing brightly.

"The Matrix." Amy looked down at the metal S-shaped object in her hands. She was about to put it back in the pyramid, but it vibrated, and flew into her chest. With a flash of light, and excruciating pain, Amy found herself lying in the sand.

For a moment, there were six silhouetted pairs of feet around her. She blinked, and the feet became more unique, more dispersed in size, and shape.

Sideswipe was crouched next to Amy, Ironhide, and Jolt holding him back.

"Check the chute for malfunctions!" Lennox barked at someone.

Slowly, Amy regained her senses, and realized - they thought she had died. Had she fallen without pulling her chute?

"Oh, damn." Amy sighed, and slowly pushed herself up onto her elbow.

"By Primus." Optimus said.

"By the Matrix, actually." Amy felt her head. There was no injury, and her pain ebbed as soon as she started to move. "What happened?"

Chromia jumped up, and slapped Amy on the side of her head. "You got some kinda offlinin' wish, 'cause I'll give it to ya, an' you do good to watch yerself!"

Amy looked around at the small crater in the sand she had made. "Oh. I fell."

"You don't seem surprised." Jolt said as he released Sideswipe.

The silver mech slid down a small decline toward Amy, and grabbed her shoulders. "Why didn't it deploy? What happened? You were fine, and the next you were on the ground!"

Amy gently pried Sideswipe's hand from her shoulders. "I told you," She patted his face. "I'm batshit crazy." She stood up as if nothing had happened- she'd learned a while ago that freaking out over what Vector Sigma did to her accomplished nothing.

"So the crazy orange bot ain't dead. Great, can we get outta the desert now?" Epps said as he checked, and re-checked his weapon's load status.

"Okay, enough." Lennox said, taking off his drop helmet, and disconnecting his parachute.

As she scanned the desert, and tried to get her bearings, she realized they were near the pyramids.

"Blazer." Sideswipe grasped Amy's shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Amy looked up at Sideswipe with an amused smile. "I never said I was alright. Batshit crazy, remember?" She turned away from the silver mech, and slid through the sand as she climbed out of the crater, humming.

Sideswipe shook his head slowly as he watched her.

Jolt walked up next to Sideswipe. "Maybe she's right." He looked up at Sideswipe.

Sideswipe continued to nod slowly.

After steadying herself in the sand, Amy looked around at the empty - save for a nearby village - desert, and sighed. "Maybe I should freak out, and scream for once." As she was seriously considering it, and the urge was strong, a hand grasped her shoulder, and tugged her to her left. She turned to look at the bot, but there was no bot there to see.

"Woah." Amy stumbled, but didn't fall. "Owhhkaaaay, really getting' freaked out now." she rubbed her hands nervously then walked slowly in the direction she had been tugged.

"Blazer!" Sideswipe ran up to Amy. "You aren't stable, we should stay put until you can figure out what you're looking for."

Amy turned, and the silver mech stood just behind her. She hesitated then answered. "I'm looking for a very old, very dead bot, who may or may not be able to send me back to my own dimension."

Sideswipe narrowed one optic. "You mentioned Jetfire at base. Is that who you're looking for?"

Amy nodded. "I think that's his name. He's old, and I didn't so much have a conversation with him than we exchanged life stories in less than a second through something in my head called Vector Sigma."

Sideswipe started, grabbed Amy by one arm, and spun her around to face him.

"Vector Sigma is a myth!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

Amy shook her head slowly. "No, it isn't."

The other Autobots had gathered to watch the argument in blatant disbelief. First the Matrix of Leadership, and a prime who wanted to destroy the world, and now a femme who claimed to posses Vector Sigma.

Arcee stepped (rolled) forward, and turned her gaze up to the orange femme. "Vector Sigma _is _a myth! We _knew_ the primes, even the seekers, were here before us, but Vector Sigma is a bedtime story we're told. It doesn't exist."

Frustrated, and really starting to consider that panic and scream thing, but instead she concentrated on her warring feelings. A brief image of the Arcee Amy knew as the crazy jealous harpy bitch who had made it her personal goal for a time to ruin Amy's life.

Suddenly, the unicycle Arcee who had gone out of her way to befriend Amy went flying backward.

Amy gasped. "Arcee!" She reached out a hand, and Arcee stopped in mid air.

Suspended from the ground a few feet, and pointing horizontal, Arcee fell unceremoniously, and harmlessly to the soft sand.

"Are you okay?" Amy called out.

Flareup and Chromia helped Arcee up. Chromia shot Amy a nasty frown with revenge already in her optics. That was just how Chromia reacted to pretty much everything, but it made Amy gulp just the same.

Amy lowered her arm, and twiddled her fingers. She turned away from Arcee, and frowned at Sideswipe.

Sideswipe looked offended.

Amy shook her head, and walked away from the group. "Don't follow me!" She shouted back at the group.

All any of the NEST team could do was stare at the femme. None of the _wanted_ to follow, but they had come this far.

"Now what?" Lennox looked up at Optimus.

"I say we leave that girl, and go back to base." Epps aimed the rifle held in the orange femme's direction.

"Easy." Optimus pointed at Epps.

Ironhide watched the femme then walked forward after her.

"Hey, Ironhide!" Lennox called, but black mech continued forward without a glance backward.

Sidewipe followed after Ironhide, passed him, and caught up to Amy. He did a circle around her, making the femme stop. Amy took off running, and Sideswipe followed. She had only gotten a few steps before Sideswipe said something that made Amy turn.

Amy saw Ironhide walking toward them with his wide gait. He had caught up quickly, and passed the femme and Sideswipe.

"Let's find that old codger, and get out of this pitt." Ironhide rumbled as he passed them.

Amy nodded, and turned to follow Ironhide.

Mudflap and Skids exchanged a glance, still standing with the rest of the group.

"Well go on, you pussy, or ain't you got the ball bearings?" Mudflap elbowed his green twin.

"What'd you thay? Ah got more bearinth than you, you thtupid geniuth!" Skids wrestled his twin to the ground.

Jolt started to intervene, but Optimus held up a hand. "Let them be."

The twins transformed, and swirved back and forth, cutting each other off, and caught up to the trio ahead of them.

"Get out of here!" Optimus could hear Ironhide shouted, and saw him wave a hand at the two young bots.

Amy took another glance back at the smaller group still standing behind them. "They're afraid of me, aren't they?"

Sideswipe glanced at the group then looked forward. "Don't think about it that way."

Amy rubbed her arms. "I can't help it. I don't think I can be brave about this anymore."

"Don't lose your nerve now." Ironhide clapped Amy on the back, and almost knocked the femme over. "That radiation clinging to you means you're telling the truth."

Amy shook her head. "All Takions mean is that I was in an explosion."

"Were you?" Sideswipe kicked Skids's rear bumper as the red car passed.

Amy nodded wordlessly.

"You said Unicron." Ironhide prompted.

Amy nodded again. "I did." The memories started flooding back to her in nightmarish droves. She could see Unicron tearing Cybertron apart, swatting at her friends in their ship. Images of sneaking through Unicron's interior with that treacherous Twilight made her sensor clusters crawl. The last image to stick in her mind was Jazz - Jazz hanging by the last thread of his life inside the monster. Was Jazz alive? Had Twilight really transported all of the bots out of Unicron, or had she just damned them somewhere else? What if there was nothing to go back to?

"Blazer, why have you stopped?" Ironhide looked at Sideswipe.

Sideswipe stared at the orange femme. He reached out to her, but she didn't respond.

Amy slowly looked up at the horizon, coolant tears dripping from her optics. "What if there's nothing to go back to?"

Ironhide and Sideswipe started.

"Whadda you mean, nothin'?" The green car asked as it transformed. Skids stared up at Amy with one eye squinted, or maybe it was just his left eye was smaller than his right.

"Aw man, look whachu did! Now she cryin'!" Mudflap shoved his twin.

"Hey, it ain't mah fault, athhoe!" Skids shoved back.

"Come on, I'll kick yo' ass!" Mudflap leaped at Skids.

The green mech stepped aside, and watched his red twin fall face first into the sand.

Amy shook her head, a muddled expression on her face, and ran past the squabbling pair. She ran deeper into the desert, following a pull she couldn't explain. She could hear something calling her, but what then? She looked down at her feet, and realized she was treading in some kind of ruins. She looked around for a sign of what she had been searching for.

Sideswipe and Ironhide called out to her, but Amy ignored them.

He was here. Still here, buried in the sand, but what then?

Amy looked up at the sky, and hollered. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Her sobs grew, and she continued to scream to the cloudless sky. "I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING! I SACRIFICED MYSELF, AND CAN'T GO HOME! WHAT DO YOU FUCKING WANT FROM ME?!"

"Blazer!" Sidewipe called.

"No," Amy fell to her knees. "I can't do this!" She sobbed. "I can't be the plucky little heroine! I'm sick of being the one who knows what to do! Tell me what I have to do!" She opened her opened her optics, and stared at her hands as they gripped sand. "I just wanna go home." She hiccupped. "Please, somebody just..." She bent over into the sand. "Just let me go home." Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into her arms.

A hand touched Amy's back. It was the hand that had lead her here, of the silhouetted beings. There was no voice, just the presence of sympathy, and remorse.

"Amy!" A voice called.

Amy gasped, and looked up. Who had said that? They said Amy! she looked around and saw a planet of metal and rock.

Bumblebee sat by an alter with a broken rock on it. "No, Amy!" The yellow mech sobbed.

Jazz stood nearby shaking his head. He held Trigger in his hand. The little bot looked sad too, if the way it was howling was any indication.

"Lieutenant you need to go back to the hospital. Your wounds are too sever to be standing here." Firestar tried to coax Jazz to move.

"How can I think about myself? Amy's out there somewhere, an' ah'm gonna find 'er if it kills me!"

Amy gasped. "Jazz."

Bumblebee stood, but didn't bother wiping the coolant from his face. "I'll help you." He exited the building with the alter.

"Bumblebee." Firestar sighed.

Amy turned, and watched Bumblebee. She saw Ironhide and Chromia standing watch for something. Amy shook her head, and ran after Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, I'm here!" She reached out, but her arms went right through him.

Bumblebee stopped, and turned. He looked down at Amy then around.

"Wassup, Bumble?" Jazz asked as he hobbled past. His right leg was torn up, but he still walked on though it visibly caused him pain.

"Oh, Jazz." Amy sniffed.

"I thought..." Bumblebee lifted a hand, but waved it, and lowered it. "Nevermind, let's go."

"Bumblebee, Jazz!" Amy started to run after them, but, and arm wrapped around her middle, and unceremoniously tossed her away until she landed in a curled up kneeling position on...sand...

"Oo ah you?" Something akin to a can pounded Amy's back. "What is this place? 'ow did I get 'ere?"

Amy sat up, and rubbed her back. "Ow, hey!"

The large, black-ish mech hunched even farther over his cane, and stared at Amy. His legs shook slightly, and he looked very unstable.

Amy turned to her right, and saw Ironhide and Sideswipe sitting in the sand talking. They looked a bit overwhelmed, but there was nothing else to do, she supposed.

Mudflap and Skids sat on either side of Amy.

"Can you pull a rabbit outta yo' head, too?" Mudflap snorted.

Amy stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"That old model juth come crawlin' up outta the thand like night o' the undead robot, y'know what ah'm thayin'?" Skids looked up at Amy.

Amy shook her head. "I really don't." She approached the mech, who was bigger than even Ironhide, maybe Optimus, but hunched over on his cane as he muttered, and walked in circles in the sand. "Excuse me!"

"Lit'le bots jus' keep poppin' up like sprouts. Oy! What planet m' I on?" He shook his cane at Amy.

Amy jerked her head back so the cane didn't lop it off. "Earth."

The mech made a face. "Earth?" He looked around with a disgusted frown. "Terrible name for a planet. Earth. Might as well call it _dirt_. Planet _dirt._"

Amy nodded. "Okay, I'll see about that. Who are you?"

The mech looked at the femme as if he had just noticed her standing there. "Oo ah you?"

Amy sighed. "My name is...." She paused.

"Ha! Forgot your name, did ya?" He laughed.

"Blazer." Amy said, folding her arms.

"No, I ain't!" He stomped his cane into the sand. "I'm Jetfire! An' don' you be forgettin' it!" He shook his cane at Amy, and hobbled around aimlessly. "Meddlesome, you are. I was enjoyin' my afterlife. Lyin' here with nothin' to do but sleep."

"Hey, _you_ called _me!_" Amy shouted. "I'd be happy to kill you again!" She heard her words, but was too frustrated to care. "I'm at my wit's end here,grandpa blackbird, so don't you-"

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, missy!" Jetfire bore down her, his presence pushing Amy down. "You may be a prime, but I'm not in any mood for your hullabaloo!"

Amy started. "Prime? No, I'm not a Prime, you mixed up codger!"

"Hush up, you itty bitty wanker!" Jetfire bellowed.

"Make me, you sorry excuse for alzheimer's!"

"You, you, " Jetfire thumped his cane. "You lit'le bugger!"

Amy stared up at Jetfire, frowning. Jetfire stared down at the 'itty bitty wanker' with narrowed red optics.

Then, frustration and annoyance became infinitesimal, and both slowly started to laugh.

Ironhide and Sideswipe watched then looked at each other.

Jetfire helped Amy stand, and Amy signaled to the others it was time to head back.

"I remember you." Jetfire said after a while. "You 'ave that - whatchamajiggah in your 'ead."

Amy looked up at Jetfire. "How did you-?"

"I'm Jetfire!" He exclaimed then said quieter. "I know these things." He paused, made a coughing sound, and pounded on his right leg. "Ah, bugger me, these legs. Ain't wot they used to be."

"I'm sorry." Amy said automatically.

"Not your folt." Jetfire said. "N'less you the one who took all the Energon." He eyed her with a little smirk the way old men do when they're trying to be funny.

Amy shook her head. "I dunno anything about Energon."

"Nonsense!" Jetfire thrust the hand not on his cane into the air. "You know plenty, I'm sure!"

Amy shook her head. "It's not really Energon I'm worried about." She turned her head, and looked at Ironhide.

"Friends o' yours?" Jetfire inquired.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Different than who I'm used to, but they're my friends...I think." She shrugged, not feeling so sure anymore.

"Hm." Jetfire nodded. "What's 'ee on about?" Jetfire pointed in Ironhide's general direction.

Amy tried not to laugh. It struck her as funny for some reason. She'd always known Ironhide to act tough, but to inquire _what's he on about_ seemed perfect.

"Oh, that's Ironhide." Amy clasped her hands behind her back. "He's a tough guy."

"Hah!" Jetfire shook his head. "Betcha 'ee never lst two microns in the galgatta slave mines."

"I bet you I would." Ironhide glanced at Jetfire.

"Well, I'll be blue then." Jetfire chuckled. "An' what 'bout 'im with that shiny 'ide o' 'is."

Amy's amused smile persisted. "Sideswipe."

Sideswipe, as if sensing he was being talked about, turned and looked at Amy and Jetfire then looked back at the twins as they walked.

"Sideswipe. Looks like a wankah." Jetfire spit to the side, and shook his head.

Amy covered her laugh with one hand.

"What's your story?" Jetfire asked. He pointed his cane in Sideswipe's general directin. "Are you a wanker, too?"

Amy shook her head.

"No," Jetfire said knowingly. "You're a prime, that's what you are." He nodded.

"See, that's where you're wrong. Stop calling me a prime, I'm not a prime." Amy folded her arms tight, and walked with her head down.

"You got vector sigma, and the matrix of leadership." Jetfire said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Don't you try tellin' me you ain't a Prime."

"I'm not a prime." Amy said again. "I'm a teenager-well, twenty-year-old, from Tranquility, Nevada, and yes I'm an Autobot now, but I wasn't always, and I'm sure not a Prime."

There as silence the rest of the way back to where NEST had set up camp. The sun had already started to set, and it was getting cold out. The other Autobots had transformed, and were settled in a circle, all conversing in electronic hums and whirs.

Sideswipe transformed, and squeezed in between Jolt and Arcee, and joined the conversation.

"They're talkin' about you." Jetfire said.

Amy looked at the old bot then at the circle of Autobots. "About me?" She wondered about the conversation, but at the same time didn't want to know.

Ironhide walked past Amy patting her as he passed. He transformed to his terrestrial guise of a large, black truck, and settled next to Prime.

"Ain't you gonna go sit with them?" Jetfire settled for sitting on a fallen column, and sputtered. "Darn cogs not workin' right."

Amy watched them, but turned instead, and pulled herself up onto the column next to Jetfire. It wasn't that she didn't want to go join the Autobots in their circle of comfort, she just didn't feel like part of this world.

Which, besides bordering on angsty, was completely true. Amy did not belong here, but knowing that, how - if at all possible- could she get back home again?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Woohooo for Jetfire! I freaking love that guy!

Look at my poll on Deviantart, I'm looking for what YOU want to be readng.

go to .com, click on journal, the poll should be off to the side.


	4. Diego Garcia Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own transformers

~Zex

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was still dark when Bebop jumped the inter-city monorail to the comm. tower. With the dream still fresh in his mind, he had to tell someone. He had already told it once to Bumblebee, who had immediately bundled up his daughter Hopscotch, and made his way to his office. In his dream, a bright energy like the Allspark had reached through, and caused everything in his room to levitate until Bumblebee woke Bebop.  
The din of the comm. tower was far more than Bebop had expected. He had to get his bearings, searching hurrying minibots, and finally spotted the communications commander working hurriedly at a console above the ground floor.  
Blaster glanced at the entrance then did a double take and leaned over the railing. "Bebop!" He exclaimed. "Wassup? You feel it too?"  
"I am it." Bebop muttered as he climbed up to Blaster's level. Before Blaster could ask, Bebop recounted his dream. Blaster said almost nothing except for an occasional, hurried question.  
"Sounds like the Allspark, and you said pyramids?" The red mech narrowed one blue optic.  
Bebop nodded. His optics casing shut, and he covered them with his hands. "Every time I close my eyes, and I can see it. The pyramid, the machine, mom, and that - that - thing entering her body."  
Blaster chuckled.  
Bebop slid his hands from his optics, and stared at the red mech's back. "What's so funny?"  
Blaster shook his head. "You talk like 'er. I mean, I didn't talk to your momma much, but she talks like a human."  
Bebop sighed. "Can we talk about the way I talk later? Wait..." he checked his internal chronometer, and blinked a few times to clear drowsiness. "Why are you up so late?"  
"Still up. Haven't gotten my rechargin' in yet. I was about to, but Twincast picked up a signal from the suburbs." Blaster said, weaving his way down through a scaffolding-like ladder to the lower level. Bebop followed.  
"It reached through, the energy, I mean. Bumblebee said he woke up, and everything was levitated off the ground."  
Blaster stared at Bebop for a moment. "Levitated?" He blinked then ran to another screen, and started sifting through files.  
Bebop sighed, and gave Blaster's back a thin-lipped smile. "Do I wanna know?"  
"A while back I was lookin' up reports to correspond with those energy readings in Autobot City. Y'know the light?" He looked at Bebop then shook his head. "Nevermind, you weren't online yet." He tapped the screen, and cried out triumphantly.  
Bebop started, and turned his head to the mech.  
"Optimus witnessed a similar phenomenon from Blazer in the medical ward of Autobot City. Everything in the room levitated." He skimmed the report. "a'course the energy disintegrated Goldbug's arms, but..." he shook his head when he saw Bebop's petrified expression. "They grew back!" He pointed at the report. "It says so."  
Bebop blinked slowly, and started to say something, but decided not to. He had heard the stories from Goldbug about her arms, and the energy. What bots didn't seem to understand is collectively Goldbug, Trigger, and Meister had saved Amy's life.  
"Blaster," Bebop touched his chest where his spark burned. He felt faint, and before he could say much of anything else, he fell down to the floor unconscious.

Mom? The voice called.  
Amy turned, and looked behind her at the dark, grey rolling hills that had replaced the flowering hills of Amy's subconscious.  
Mom, is that you?  
Amy touched a hand to her head, and squinted one green optic. "Ow." she knelt on the ground. Her hand skimmed over the hard surface. "Who are you? Why are you calling me mom?"  
Mom! Where are you? Mom! MOM!  
White filled Amy's vision. She held up an arm to shade her optics from the light. Everything went from fuzzy to clear, and she saw blue skies, and orange sand.  
"Bwazah's awake." Skids said.  
Amy looked up at the green mech sitting over her. "GWAH!" she sat up, and moved away from him.  
Skids raised an optic ridge then looked at his red twin. "Better get Thidethwipe."  
Mudflap threw a sand clump at Skids. "You get 'im. You saw 'er first."  
"How'm ah thuppothed t' be watchin' 'er if ah walk away ya thtupid geniuth!" Skids stood up.  
Mudflap hurled another sand clump that splatted against Skids's face, and laughed.  
Amy stood up, and slowly sidled away from the twins. She couldn't see the other Autobots around, and gasped. Had they gone, and left Amy alone with the twins? Did they leave them behind?  
"I won't be messed with! Bugger off now, the lot of ye!" Jetfire's voice shouted from afar.  
Amy ran toward it, circling around the pyramid, and found the Autobots gathered around the opposite side in the shade.  
"Lass! Run for it! They're all barbarians!" Jetfire swung his cane in the air.  
Ratchet held a scanning device in Jetfire's general direction. His right optic twitched, but otherwise looked alright, though somewhat annoyed.  
Amy looked around, and saw Sideswipe sitting a few tiers up. He lounged against the sandy bricks, his optics somewhat dimmed. Ironhide sat with Epps, the pair looking and talking about the black mech's cannons. Optimus sat in his truck mode, and Amy could see Lennox in the driver's seat, probably lounging in the air conditioning.  
Jolt and the triplets sat in a circle with a few of the NEST operatives, all holding cards.  
Ratchet turned. "Ah, Blazer."  
The twins zipped out of the sun, and into the shade of the pyramid, circling Amy's feet for a moment before rushing behind Optimus as Ironhide aimed a cannon at them.  
Amy opted to just wave with a tight smile, and climbed up the pyramid to join Sideswipe.  
"They mean well." Sideswipe said as the orange femme sat down next to him.  
"Oh?" Amy gave the dozing mech a small smile then turned her gaze, and saw the twins sitting behind Optimus, not squabbling for once. "Yeah. Kids, y'know?" she waved a hand.  
Sideswipe cracked open on optic to a slit of glowing blue, and turned his head a bit to the right to look at the femme. "I don't mind 'em much." He snorted. "Ironhide wants them offlined."  
Amy snorted. "He doesn't have kids." She folded her arms on her knees, and rest her chin on them. "It's wonderful." She closed her eyes, sighed, and envisioned Bebop squirming waist deep through the snow in his snow suit, and knitted hat.

Amy leaned back against the couch, head tilted over the top as she stared at the ceiling. Must've fallen asleep on the pyramid. She chuckled slightly, envisioning herself dozing on a pyramid. She yawned, and sighed.  
A creak in the floor made Amy turn. She smiled when she saw a small boy standing at the bottom of the stairs. He watched her for a moment then shuffled over, climbed on the couch, and lay down next to Amy with is head on her lap.  
Amy stroked the boy's hair, watching him drift off to sleep.  
The boy turned his head to look at Amy.  
"One blue eye, one green." Amy smiled.  
"I get it from you." The boy, now a teen, said with a tired smile. He settled his head back on Amy's lap, and yawned. "When're you coming home?"  
A glowing blue teardrop slipped down Amy's right cheek. "Soon, love." She leaned down, and kissed his head. "Soon."

Bebop slowly opened his still-half-asleep blue optic, and looked around the dark room. He let it close again, and nuzzled his head deeper into...recharge berth. Quickly, he sat up. "Mom!" He looked around, even at the wall behind him, and the luminescent gel-like padding beneath him. "Mom." Before the tears could start, and dream fresh in his mind, he quickly, but quietly forced himself out of his room, and across the hall to the dark room occupied by his surrogate parent.  
Bumblebee lay on his side, one leg draped over the edge of his berth. Bebop didn't have time to shake his head, and scold Bumblebee quietly for working himself so ragged.  
"Bumblebee!" He grabbed the yellow mech's nearest shoulder, and shook it hard. "Bumblebee!"  
"Ge'way." Bumblebee's arm swiped out, and clipped Bebop's leg with absolutely no force.  
"Bumblebee, I had a dream about mom!" Bebop's voice cracked.  
"Shh!" Bumblebee hissed, his optics fighting to stay closed and open at the same time. "Jus' got th' baby sleepin'." He slurred as he rubbed one optic. "Go back t' sleep."  
"No, this is important!" Bebop closed the door, and turned on the light.  
"Gaaaah." Bumblebee covered his optics with one arm. "Gonna throw you, 'Bop."  
"No, really, listen!" Bebop whispered loudly. "I had another dream about mom."  
Bumblebee turned onto his side with his back to Bebop. "G'back to sleep."  
"But mom's alive, Bumblebee!" Bebop exclaimed.  
"SHHHH!" Bumblebee sat up, optics glaring at the young mech. "Go. Back. To. Bed. Now."  
Bebop started to protest, but Bumblebee activated his canon, and pointed it in Beobop's face before the young mech could speak.  
"I just worked a twenty-megacycle shift, what with Cliffjumper still in the hospital, recovering from his energy drain from Unicron. Your father is also in the hospital ward, barely able to walk because of the same drain."  
"Bumb-" Bebop started.  
"There's nothin' we can do 'bout it right now. S'late, g'back to sleep." Bumblebee's arm wavered. "I'm exhausted, and you should be, too. If you want to stay awake, do it in your room, or outside, or whatever. Not in here."  
"Bumblebee, she-!" Bebop's voice rose again  
"SHHHH-ut up!" Bumblebee climbed off the berth, and pushed Bebop out the door. "You're gonna wake up Hopscotch."  
"Bumblebee, she's alive!" Bebop snapped.  
Bumblebee covered Bebop's mouth. "I know." He narrowed his optics. Bebop's tense shoulders relaxed. "I know, Bebop, but it's late. I'm tired, and I really don't want to wake up half the planet with whatever machine Wheeljack will want to build, and test to help you. Please. Wait until morning."  
Bebop narrowed his optics as Bumblebee took his hand away. He stood silently, watching Bumblebee walk back into his room. "It could've been you."  
Bumblebee paused, and after a minute, glanced over his shoulder at the young mech.  
"She could've contacted you, and you would've had the dream. Then you would be the one trying to convince someone else to do something right this second." A coolant teardrop slid down the right side of Bebop's faceplate.  
Bumblebee shook his head, and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. Bebop turned, and started when he saw Hopscotch, a little femme no taller than Bumblebee's knee standing in the doorway of her room, rubbing her sleepy teal optics.  
"Hey Hop, sorry if I woke you." Bebop glanced at Bumblebee's door then turned back to the femme. "Let's get you back to bed, okay?" He crossed the hall, and started to usher the child back to her berth.  
"I had a bad dream, too, Bebop." Hopscotch sniffled.  
"Aww, tell me about it." Bebop picked up the fledgling.  
"I dreamed I had a big skate recital, and I fell down." Hopscotch pouted.  
"Poor Hop, you won't fall down." Bebop kissed the femme's head as he set her on her recharge berth. "Try to get some sleep, though." He patted her hand, and started to leave.  
"You miss your mommy a lot, don't you?" Hopscotch turned on her side to face Bebop.  
Bebop turned, about to close the door. "She's your mommy, too, Hopscotch."  
Hopscotch stared at Bebop for a moment then sighed. "I hope I get to meet her some day."  
Bebop smiled tiredly. "You will." He closed the door, paused for a moment then walked back to his room. He settled back on his berth, unable to sleep. He sat tuning his guitar for a few minutes then settled into a light, if not melancholy rhythm.  
Across the hall, Bumblebee listened as he sat on his berth, hunched over a holovid of a dark-haired young woman cooking in the kitchen.  
"What is that?" She stirred a bowl of pale-colored batter.  
"This device records images, and plays them back." Bumblebee's voice explained.  
"YEEK!" Amy threw the bowl of batter into the air. A butterfly and a praying mantis caught the bowl as Amy scurried away. "I'm not cleaned up yet!"  
Bumblebee laughed, and the video changed with a clicking sound.  
"She never really had a chance." Said Cliffjumper, barely awake. "Makes me wish I could've helped her, y'know?"  
"Yeh." The camera turned to show Jazz lounging on a medical station, a kind of IV in his right arm, and a black cuff around his right upper leg. "Hey Trig, c'mere." He waved something over, and the camera drew nearer with an audible clicking sound. The camera landed on Jazz's hand, and clicked off again.  
Bumblebee sighed, and set the black disk aside. He lay back, and stared up at the ceiling. It was quiet, and dark, and empty, save for his recharge berth, and a few trinkets.  
Bebop's music stopped, and Bumblebee sighed. Footsteps crossed the hall, and a soft knock made the yellow mech shake his head.  
"Alright, come in." Bumblebee said.  
Bebop opened the door. "Are you going to listen now?"  
Bumblebee sat up. "Yeah, just don't turn the light on, okay? I'm still exhausted."  
"Yeah, right." Bebop said as he crossed the room to stand next to Bumblebee.  
"So, tell me about this dream you had." Bumblebee rubbed his optics.

Amy stared up at the sky and the clouds. It was all there was to look at around this place. Diego Garcia wasn't much to see as far as sights - military stuff all looked the same to the femme. The sky, however, was a vast, constantly changing entity of clouds, birds, and weather. Although here it tended to be in the extremes - either blue or black. Sunny, or raining golf-ball sized drops of water. Always humid, about eighty to ninety percent Ratchet said.  
"Don't get snippy with me, youngling!" Jetfire's gruff voice carried from where he was hobbling away from Ratchet.  
Amy chuckled. Ratchet, young; it was comical, really. She turned her head up, and managed to see the giant black robot leaning heavily on his cane, and shuffled toward her on shaky legs.  
"Rusted, my arse!" Jetfire bellowed to no one in general, though he sent a few stray soldiers on the airfield scurrying. He came to a stop, bent over and staring at Amy through robotic spectacles. " 'Oo ah you?" He stared down at her, visibly shaking with age.  
"I'm Blazer." Amy said automatically.  
"Ha! And they call me forgetful. I know 'oo you ah. You're a Prime!" He wobbled on over to a comfortable looking crate, and sat himself down with a long sigh.  
Amy mirrored the sigh. Why had she flown the Autobots halfway around the world to wake up this old codger again? How was he supposed to help her get home? She pushed herself up onto her elbows. "I am not a Prime, so stop calling me that." She flopped back down onto the warm tarmac, and folded her hands over her middle.  
"That's olright." Jetfire leaned forward, hands stacked on his cane, and seemed to be examining Amy.  
"Hey, heeey, stop staring at me like I'm a science experiment." Amy sat up, pulled her knees up to her chest, and hugged them. "Ratchet already thinks that."  
Jetfire stared. "Well, 'ees a scientist." He leaned forward, and said in what Amy assumed was supposed to be a confidential tone. "Bit of a wankeh."  
Amy snorted, and laughed into her legs.  
"But you didn' 'ear that from me." Jetfire sat up. "Oy! You're a wankeh, too!" He shouted at someone.  
Amy busted up laughing, laying back, holding her stomach. It was all too much. The world according to Jetfire seemed to be divided into three groups. Autobots, Decepticons, and wankers. The femme turned her head up and sideways to see who was close by.  
Bumblebee and Sideswipe stood staring at Jetfire. Sideswipe glanced Amy's way then looked back at Jetfire, shook his silver head, and skated away. Bumblebee blinked, looked at Amy then followed Sideswipe.  
Amy turned, and looked at Jetfire, who was muttering about snippity younglings. "You provide me with endless amusement."  
"Wot?" Jetfire looked like he was just noticing Amy, and squinted his optics as he adjusted his spectacles. " 'Oo ah you?"  
Amy snorted, and turned her gaze to look up at the sky. "I'm a Prime."  
"Augh, a living Prime!" Jetfire sputtered. "I don't believe it!"  
Amy shook her head slowly. "You know there's another one in that hangar over there."  
"No." Jetfire blinked, genuinely amazed.  
Amy thought that it was very unfortunate for this mech to be so forgetful, though at some random point, she knew he would remember something important that would have nothing to do with whatever's going on.  
A moment passed, and Jetfire jabbed Amy in the side with his cane. "Oy, you wot brought me back to life! You're a Prime! Go do something Primey!" He demanded, like it was a household chore, or a part-time job. Go sweep, or save the universe from destruction, or something else useful, she teased herself.  
"Wait," Amy looked at Jetfire. "Did you just refer to whatever Prime's do as - Primey?"  
Jetfire looked startled then said. "No."  
Amy shook her head, chuckling then turned to look at the tarmac, and saw Sideswipe and Bumblebee standing nearby. Whether they were eavesdropping, or just wandering around, and happened upon the pair, Amy didn't care. She sat up, and started to ask what two mechs were doing in a place they had no business being, but Sideswipe spoke first.  
"You're a Prime."  
Amy stared at him for a moment. The intonation in his voice, and the stunned look on his face suggest "prime" had much more meaning than Amy had originally assumed. At first, Amy had only associated "Prime" with Optimus, and his family - like a surname of sorts, which was where her defense started. On the other hand, now that she thought about it, this was another reality. Prime might be something - someone - else. Quickly, she stood, and took off running toward the hangar. Whatever it was, she wanted nothing to do with it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Like mother, like son. Bebop has inherited his mother's visions and fainting spells.

The question now is, can Bebop use this to help bring his mother back to her own reality?

IS Amy a Prime? Or is Jetfire simply an old model with a few processor glitches?

Answers to these questions and more in the next installment of PLACE!

~Zex


	5. Diego Garcia Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

PLACE, Chapter 5

"Blazer!" Sideswipe shouted through the sealed door.

"Blazer, come out, and we'll talk about this!" Longarm called calmly. "We are not angry at you, so please come out and talk to us!"

Amy shook her head, hands over her audio receptors. "No, go away! I'm not a Prime!" She shouted as loud as she could. She didn't want them to see her like this - broken, and panicking. This would be the point where a little voice says _they already know_, Amy thought, and just cried harder. "I can't be a Prime!"

Something thunked against the door. Amy gasped. A blade punched through one side of the door, and swiped quickly to the opposite side. Faster than Amy could even shout at the obvious silver culprit, a second blade stabbed into the top of the door, and sliced down the middle. Amy jumped up, and away from the door as it clattered heavily to the ground.

Sideswipe retracted his blades, and gave the red-orange femme a sideways stare.

Amy averted her gaze, her green optics shifting around as if the room held some kind of answer for her. Sideswipe approached, grabbed the femme's arm, and jerked her behind him as he skimmed out of the hangar.

Amy jerked her arm, and dug her heels into the pavement, but it did nothing to slow Sideswipe, or make him release her.

Sideswipe yanked Amy forward again. "Stop this nonsense!" He barked at her as he continued. "You're acting like a hatchling!"

"What're _you_ acting like, a sage?" Amy growled, trying to pry Sideswipe's hand off of her arm unsuccessfully. "Get off me, you can't make me do whatever you want me to do!"

"Whatever I want you to do?" Sideswipe pulled Amy so she was inches from his face when he leaned down suddenly. "You have no idea what this means to the existence of Cybertron, do you?" He shook Amy. "I've seen what you can do, Blazer! You brought an old bot back to life in better shape than he was when he went offline, which I also saw!"

Amy watched him with her calculated green gaze. Her vocal processor almost seemed to work of its own accord, spouting words Amy didn't even realize she felt inside her. "Saved one, killed millions, and it only took me about five minutes each time."

Sideswipe heard only madness coming from the femme before him, and he had only one method to deal with bots who had turned to madness. He slapped Amy across her faceplate, and was summarily pulled away from the femme immediately by Longarm and Ironhide.

"Stand down, Sideswipe!" Ironhide bellowed, but the silver blade-wielding mech wasn't listening. "Sideswipe!"

Amy stared at the pavement, her head still turned to the side from Sideswipe's slap.

"You are not a killer, Blazer! Whatever your world was, whatever brought you to this place, you caused no pain!" Sideswipe shouted. "It wasn't your fault!"

Amy could hear his words, but they were not for her. she suspected something had happened to him that made him act this way toward her. She looked at Sideswipe, and resolved to what she was about to say.

"I was the catalyst to an explosion that destroyed a planet eating monster called Unicron. My fiancé, along with so many others, were inside that planet when it exploded." She shook her head slowly, coming to a heartbreaking realization, but didn't cry. "I saved a crazed bot named Twilight, and she trapped me inside Unicron, causing the deaths of millions of Cybertronians."

Sideswipe could only stare as the other Autobots did. No one could speak, no one wanted to speak - what was there to say?

Amy held her hands open, and shrugged. "So you see, someone like me can't be a Prime. Whether it's good or bad, I know it's because of that thing that went into my spark in Egypt. I'm already more powerful than any one being ought to be, so add some kind of significant title to that..."

"Just stop it, young'un!" Chromia spat.

Amy started.

The significantly smaller blue femme commanded the attention of the room with her presence. "I ain't never heard such ludicrous talk in all my lifecycle!" She paced up to the red-orange femme. "I don't believe for a second that you destroyed your Cybertron! We ain't ever seen what ya done, 'sides bring ol' forgetful back t' bein' what he is."

Amy stared at the blue femme, and blinked her green optics slowly as if it would clarify what this femme was trying to say.

Flareup came forward, and idled by Chromia. "I think what my companion is trying to say, Blazer, is that we don't know who you were, but you're an Autobot. You've brought life back after it's been taken away, and that alone holds so much promise for our dilapidated planet."

Amy knew what they were asking, but said nothing.

"What I mean is," She glanced back at her companions all standing silently behind her. Flareup turned her gaze back to the red-orange femme before her. "You could help Ratchet."

Amy started, and looked down with one optic squinted. Not what she had suspected they would say. "Ratchet?"

Flareup nodded. "We have comrades who might still be here if a bot such as yourself had come sooner."

"Much sooner." Chromia nodded.

Flareup gave her blue sister a look that spoke volumes. Chromia shifted, and folded her arms wordlessly.

Amy sighed, and sat down. She pulled her knees against her chest, and averted her gaze from anything sentient. "I'll think about it."

"Why you ungrateful-!" Chromia shouted, waving her cannon arm.

Flareup grabbed Chromia's arm, and tried to hold it down. "That's all we ask!" She exclaimed over Chromia's unhappy Cybertron ranting.

Amy said nothing as Flareup pulled Chromia from the room much to the femme's disgust.

Ironhide shooed off all the Autobots to 'do something useful'. Amy felt the black mech's gaze glance at her before he left as well.

Two shapes remained in Amy's peripheral vision. One stayed put while the larger form walked toward, and knelt down next to her.

Amy almost flinched as Longarm gently touched her arm, and offered a silent smile.

"I told Flareup I'd think about it." Amy muttered. Inside, her emotions waged war on one another, and with her morality. Stay and help these Autobots fight a losing battle, or continue to search for a way back to her own Autobots? _Her_ friends, _her_ friends, the bots she loved, and needed.

"Are you alright, Blazer?" Longarm asked softly. There was no underlying emotion besides worry. This mech had nothing to him as far as Amy could tell, besides good nature, perhaps she'd even go so far as to say he was pacifistic in his soft-spoken way. "I'm sorry this burden has been placed upon you."

Amy felt her resolve start to crack as his voice gently broke apart the tension inside the femme as if it were crumb cake. The second form approached, and instead of crouching in front of Amy with Longarm, he sat next to her. Slowly, Amy looked up.

Sideswipe stared straight ahead, his chassis rising in a deep motion that elicited a soothing sound akin to a sigh.

Amy turned, and looked at Longarm, who nodded, his serene smile in place on his faceplate.

"Yeah." Amy's voice settled softly with no wavering, or frustration. "I'm alright."

It didn't take long before even the distant sounds and voices of the control room seemed to be right next to Amy's audio receptors. She stood up, and walked out of the hangar.

"Longarm, there you are." Ratchet waved the mech over. "I need your help in my lab examining Sideways's remains." He looked at Amy is if noticing the femme for the fist time, but it didn't faze him otherwise.

Amy kept walking. No matter if these bots looked like those she was acquainted with, or even sounded like them, the femme knew there was no comfort here. There was no profound reason, and if there was, she had accomplished it when she revived Jetfire. Despite his complaints, there had already been some passing talk about improvements to the NEST team's systems.

"It felt coincidental." Amy said out loud, the feeling of Sideswipe's presence still around her, though he skated between jets and C-17s on the tarmac.

The silver mech wooshed up on her right like a breeze, did a tight U-turn, and stood in Amy's path until the femme drew nearer. Then he started to slowly back up in front of her, keeping pace so as to not collide. "Which part?" Sideswipe asked, having only heard the last word of Amy's sentence.

"Everything." Amy cleared her vents, something she associated with the sighing she heard from bots. "Coming here, Jetfire's spark." She slowed her pace then stopped, her gaze cast thoughtfully past Sideswipe, to the ocean. "The ocean, maybe." She narrowed her optics at it. "Every time I come out here, I stare at the ocean."

Sideswipe did a slow spin. "No much else to see besides the base. This planet is made up mostly of water," He faced Amy once again. "Like it's inhabitants. I imagine it's the reason they're so...what's the word?" _Squishy_, something said.

"Squishy." Amy replied. "Humans are squishy." She squatted down with her arms resting out over her knees.

Sideswipe nodded. "That's what I was thinking." He came to stand by Amy then crouched down, and opened his mouth to say something.

Amy looked at Sideswipe, and he closed his mouth. "What? Suddenly not worth talking to?" She raised an optic ridge.

Sideswipe looked thoughtful then stood up. "I was in charge of security." He said.

Amy stared up at him. "I beg your pardon?" She glanced at the hangar some yards behind them. "Security here?"

Sideswipe actually chuckled, something Amy hadn't considered the mech's personality allowed for. "No, no, not here. It's the reason I ended up answering Prime's call, though."

Amy watched him skate slow circles around a lone forklift out on the middle of the tarmac. "Oh? I feel secure already." Her voice hinted at indifference, but part of the statement was true. Sideswipe radiated protectiveness, especially toward his fellow Autobots.

Sideswipe shook his head. "Don't. We captured Demolisher there, but he escaped, and leveled the colony." There was guilt in his voice, something else Amy had not anticipated would come from the silver mech. He seemed so sure of himself, could it be his emotions were in as much turmoil as her own?

Amy's metal brow pulled together in a frown. "Why are you telling me all this?" She stacked her arms on her knees. "You don't know that I can be trusted."

Sideswipe gave a shrug. "It's old news." His deep, ratty voice softened for a moment as he continued. "I was like you once, felt like everything was my fault, that I could've done better. I was given such a huge responsibility; one my service with the Autobots had trained me to do. Protect."

Understanding began to slowly flicker in Amy's mind, like a lightbulb fighting to come on in a bad socket. "I was never trained to do anything."

"And yet we both failed. It wasn't until I came here, to Earth, hunting Demolisher that I realized that hunting alone wasn't enough. I didn't want to admit it, but I needed my fellow Autobots, and the humans they had befriended in order to accomplish my goal. Even Demolisher sought help from Sideways, and if a Decepticon can ask for help..." He shook his head, and made a sound like clearing his throat. His voice was back to its strained normality when he spoke again. "They only want to understand."

Amy stood up, brushing off invisible dirt from the ground she hadn't really been sitting on. "You ever feel like no one speaks your language?" She asked, approaching Sideswipe.

Sideswipe passed slowly as he continued to circle the forklift. "No."

Amy pulled herself up onto the roof of the forklift, and let her feet dangle over the edge. So few things were tall enough to dangle her Autobot legs off of. It made her feel almost human again as she swung her feet slowly out of sync, back and forth.

Sideswipe rolled up to Amy until her feet tapped his upper legs every time she swung them out.

"What were you talking about?" Amy slowly lifted her head, and leaned back slightly from Sideswipe's nearness. "In Egypt. You were all huddled in a circle at the campsite. Jetfire said you were talking about me."

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge, and a smirk dawned his mouthplate. "Sounds to me like you already know what was being said, Blazer." The annotation as he said "Blazer" seemed to flare in his gaze as his optics lowered for a moment then raised back up.

Amy started. Did he...? She glanced away from him, her metal brow folding. Was he just checking me out? The red-orange femme thought. No. She shook her head. "Not really," Amy said. "I was just curious. I know what I've been telling all of you must sound crazy. The human NEST team sure isn't happy about going to Egypt - don't think I didn't hear Epps griping about the heat while we waited for the C-17s to land." She saw Sideswipe nodded, his head tilting down for a moment, his gaze obviously elsewhere. "Hey." Amy raised a fist, and bumped Sideswipe's chin. "I'm up here." She narrowed her optics.

Sideswipe's gaze reminded Amy of a boy she went to high school with - a jock, who though he had all the bases covered, before he was even up to bat. He leaned toward Amy. Amy leaned away from him until she was almost bent backward over the forklift. Her green optics watched Sideswipe's head by her belly, and she frowned.

"I think I need to go back inside. The humidity is sticking to my circuits. I already almost rusted out because of the salt water, I can't imagine what the _air_ around here could do." Amy babbled as she made to sit up. Her middle touched Sideswipe's face, and he nuzzled it. Amy pushed on him. "Stop. I'm going inside."

"No you're not." Sideswipe moved fast, wrapped his arms around Amy's middle, and pulled her close to him until their mouthplates met.

_kill him!_ A voice cheered in Amy's head.

What? Amy gasped. No! She pushed on Sideswipe, but the scrawny looking meh had hydraulics. His glossa dipped into Amy's mouth, bullying it way to where it wanted to go.

Amy pulled away from him, turning her head to free her mouth. "Sideswipe, stop!" She pushed on his chest, but barely moved him.

"I know you want this as much as I do." Sideswipe said.

"No, I don't! I want a friend, that's all!" Amy brought her knee up, but didn't have enough leverage to do any damage. "Sideswipe, let go of me, I don't want to hurt you."

Sideswipe's hands traveled down to a place Amy didn't want him to touch.

"I said no!" Amy let Vector Sigma flowed into her hands, and started to push.

Sideswipe jerked backward, and was then lifted up, and backward in an arch. Bumblebee snapped back up as Sideswipe was still groaning on the ground.

"Blazer, come on!" The yellow mech extended a hand.

Amy smiled, and shook her head slowly I disbelief.

"He won't stay down all solar cycle." Bumblebee helped Blazer down, and grabbed her hand. They ran back toward the hangar, Sideswipe still dumbfounded on the ground back by the forklift.

Amy's disbelief turned to immense relief, and she grinned. "My hero!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Perceptor, don't forget to calibrate the takion stabilizers! Red Alert, if you don't mind, I do have a machine to test. If your security clearance is set. Yes? You're welcome to stay." Wheeljack rushed around prepping the room for the pushing of a red button.

Bumblebee stood off to one side, sure he knew to keep out of the way. He looked up to where Ratchet and Tourniquet stood on a catwalk over a computer screen.

Ratchet turned. "We're all set up here, Wheeljack!"

Bumblebee rubbed the sides of his head to try and calm his over-worked processors. He had gotten in about twenty hours of recharging, and decided that was enough time wasted doing nothing. With Energon refilling and recharging him every few megacycles for the past Solar cycle, Bumblebee's systems were ready for another routine rest and shutdown. No, he told himself. There was no time for resting, not until she was here not until he could touch her, hold her, and kiss her again. When Amy was safe, then he could rest.

"Bumblebee! How're my sub-space jamming satellites looking?" Wheeljack called down from where he was perched on the railing of a catwalk, concentrated on something he had stopped to tighten on the behemoth machine in the middle of the room.

Bumblebee turned, and waved a hand through the air. A transparent red screen popped up. Diagrams and text rolled across it. The yellow mech looked back up to the scientist, but he had moved on. Keeping track of Wheeljack's short, multi-functional attention span was what wore heaviest on Bumblebee's already exhausted sensors. "Satellites detect no anomalies, Wheeljack. You have a green window!" He exclaimed as loud as he could above the din of the room in no particular direction.

Wheeljack stepped up next to Bumblebee unexpectedly, and slid the readings on the transparent screen aside to open another window. "Great, buddy. Why so loud?" He looked at Bumblebee like the yellow mech was the one freaking out, and running around excitedly.

Bumblebee nodded. It was all he could do. It wasn't a proper response, or in tune at all with how he felt, but he was too tired to do much else.

"Ah, slag. Incoming trans-space ship." Wheeljack got on the comm., and started shouting at someone for interrupting his experiment. The scientist seemed flippant, and Bumblebee had gotten on is case a number of times for being so about the possible takion ion trail left by Unicron's explosion.

Unexpectedly, one day Wheeljack had sat Bumblebee down, and explained he knew Bumblebee was stressed, and for good reason. No one wants to lose a sparkmate, considering there was only one true sparkmate for each Cybertronian.

"Most search their whole lifecycles." Wheeljack had said. "I get it Bumble-buddy, you miss 'er. What bot doesn't miss that gal? She's done so much for us Autobots, I won't stop lookin' until we get the hard evidence to say absolutely one way or the other."

"There's only one way." Bumblebee replied that day. "She's alive, and I won't rest until she home. Even if it takes me a million stellar cycles, Wheeljack. I will bring Amy home."

Wheeljack had laughed. A joyous, excited laugh. "I like a good long-term project!"

With that, the two had gotten down to brass tacks, working toward today. One rung of a no doubt, tall, seemingly unending ladder of tests. One at a time, Bumblebee told himself. Just take it one day at a time, one experiment, one blueprint. One.

"The space bridge is open again! Start up the machine! We have a go from command!" Wheeljack pointed up to the catwalk. "Slow, Perceptor, don't over load 'er! Ratchet, Tourniquet, keep 'er cool. If she heats up, she overloads!"

"We're in clear green, 'Jack!" Tourniquet called.

"Sixty clicks to safe activation spread!" Ratchet exclaimed as the machine's whine grew louder.

Wheeljack walked up to the haystack shaped machine that would dwarf even Metroplex in height. He flipped open a simple clear box with a red button contained.

"Twenty clicks to safe activation spread!" Ratchet called down.

Bumblebee took a cautionary step backward - habit. Wheeljack's machines had an even worse habit of blowing up in everyone's faces. Last time, it had turned Amy into Prowl. Bumblebee allowed himself a chuckle for just a momet before he re-concentrated on the task at hand.

"Ten clicks to safe activation spread!" Ratchet practically had to strain to shout over the machine's noise.

"NINE!"

Bumblebee folded his arms.

"FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

Wheeljack jabbed the red button in.

At first, there was nothing. Then the noise stopped abruptly.

"Uhh..." Wheeljack cocked his head.

Ratchet crouched down then raised a hand, and pulled Tourniquet down.

Bumblebee started. "What -?"

The machine exploded in light, and sound, several outer rings spinning and glowing blue as an energy rose within it. The energy burst forth, busting a hole in the laboratory ceiling. It extended up, and up into space, and stopped in seemingly mid air. The light spread out into a sheet of light seen all across Cybertron.

In the command center, Optimus stopped his meeting with Prowl, Ironhide, and a few others to stare out the widow. Optics were drawn to the anomaly, and silence hung heavy in the air.

Out in a park, Meister was assisting with a group of sparklings on a day trip. If she'd had breath, it would have caught in her throat. Mirage walked up, but his intent gave pause for the light shooting into the sky.

Secretly, Goldbug sat by a room at the hostel she stayed at. She leaned her head against the glass pane of the window, and chewed her metallic lower lip worriedly.

Bebop stopped was he was doing in the communications tower, the highest point on Cybertron. A had slid into his, but he didn't speak to Blaster.

In the VA wing of the medical center, Trigger squeaked, and turned away from Jazz and Smokescreen's chess game. Bots were all gathered around a wide window, the lab not too far away. The blue light cast its glow over all of them.

Trigger perched on Jazz's shoulder as he limped on his cane to stand next to Cliffjumper at the window. Cliffjumper looked at Jazz, a question in his optics. Jazz's optics asked the same question then both looked to the spectacle from the lab to find an answer. There was nothing anyone could say - nothing anyone wanted to say. Onl y success or failure.

The light engulfed an orb of calculated particles to latch onto, and hung in the air like a bubble. The shaft of light from the laboratory pulled away, leaving the bubble hanging in space above Cybertron.

Wheeljack ran to a console, and a picture of the wobbling bubble in space, along with readouts, and information. "We have a steady spread! Ratchet, activate the Takion emitter!"

Ratchet punched in a few keys on the console in front of him, and the machine whirred to life again, but no light came out. An array of color flashed through the machine.

The bubble above Cybertron changed from blue, to the wavering metallic colors similar to a soap bubble. Inside the bubble, and slow red light hummed to life as the takion particles began to group together.

Pregnant silence hung around Cybertron as all watched the growing red light inside the bubble. Others prayed harder than others, but everyone hoped for success.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Amy fell to the floor of the hangar, screaming bloody murder, and then some. "Ah-WHAT-? AAAAAAAYAAAAAAA!" She clutched her burning chest. She felt like someone had gotten a hold of her spark, and twisted.

As soon as the screaming had started, bots had tried to get close to Amy, but all were thrown back.

"Ratchet!" Bumblebee shouted. "Do something!"

"I ain't just gonna sit here!" Chromia shouted.

"AAAA-S-STAAAA BA-HAAAAAA!" Amy convulsed on the ground, her body flipping and contorting. She knew this pain, this energy. All she could do was scream against the pain.

"What in blazes?" Jetfire drew closer, and the energy latched onto him. Elctric-like energy moved between the two as Amy's spark drew energy from Jetfire.

Jetfire fell to one knee, weakened, but alive.

"BLAZER!" Longarm shouted. "We have to help her!" He shouted.

"She's openin' a space bridge! Blazer Prime, stay still or you'll diiie!" Jetfire shouted over Amy's screams.

Amy tried to heed Jetfire's warning, but her body, wracked with pain and confusion, continued to convulse, and twist on the ground. Her head flipped back, her body arched, and she felt a strange kind of lightness. The last sound she heard was a voice - a familiar voice that made her weep with pain and joy.

Bumblebee. "BLAZER!!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Wheeljack, we're off the scale!" Tourniquet shouted down from the catwalk.

"I can't keep this thing cooled off!" Ratchet roared over the noise as he entered codes, and rerouted power to keep the machine on, and cooled. "Wheeljack!"

Bumblebee had to slide his mask down against the intense light. The sound of the gears screeching started to sound like...screams? "What is that?!" Bumblebee shouted. "That noise doesn't sound right!"

Everyone on Cybertron heard it. The screeching, keening scream as the red light of the takions grew brighter.

Bots covered their audio receptors.

In the VA wing, Trigger shrieked, and howled, still on Jazz's shoulder. It tugged Jazz's gremlin' like horns, as if trying to draw him nearer to the sound. "Triggah, down some coolant!"

In the lab, Wheeljack called out to a now unconscious Bumblebee.

On the playground, Mirage held Meister, shaking her, and calling out to her.

Goldbug looked like she was sleeping against the windowsill, but she too had fallen mysteriously unconscious.

Blaster propped Bebop in a chair in his attempts to revive the unconscious mech.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Amy opened her optics. For a fleeting moment, she saw shapes, figures. Familiar figures that started to take shape. She couldn't move, but there they were.

"Mama!" One called out, but her voice was telescoped, as if coming from a longer ways away.

"Mom!" A higher masculine voice called in much the same manner.

"AMY!" Two deeper masculine voices called, one of them accented.

Just as Amy thought she could move, she was drawn away by an unseen force, pulled far away as the figures grew smaller and smaller, their voices inaudible, save for one.

"I knew a little takion dispersion explosion couldn't destroy you." A definitely female voice said. "This is going to be too much fun, but I think I'll manage." It cackled, and suddenly Amy was falling - falling far, falling fast.

Bumblebee came to, gasping with coolant leaking form his optic cavities. "She's alive." She whispered between vents panting.

"Bumble-buddy, you alright?" Wheeljack asked.

"She's alive! The machine worked, Amy is alive!" Bumblebee exclaimed. He tried to sit up, but his body felt weak.

Wheeljack exchanged a look with Ratchet. "The machine overloaded. It got too hot, buddy. We gotta start over."

"The machine works!" Bumblebee laughed triumphantly. "And she's alive." He pumped his fists in the air then let them fall to his face to cover his optics. "And we can bring her home."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

TBC

At least they know they can bring Amy home. Now, if Wheeljack can ice that overheating problem...

~Zex


	6. Shattered Glass Chapter 1

All of my fanfics are kind of on hiatus, but i worked long and hard on this after my writer's block was broken.

So for all my PLACE fans. The next world has arrived!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

PLACE - Shattered Glass

CH.1

The impact rattled Amy down to her endoskeleton. Concrete? She pushed herself up slowly, but the effort was too much. She waited a moment, took a breath then pushed again, and managed to sit up. The first she noticed was the smell. Oil. Strongly of oil, and something indescribable. Amy was more stunned for a moment that she had the ability to smell rather than what exactly she may be smelling. She rubbed the nose-like shape in the middle of her face, and shook her head. Moving became increasingly easier as long as she took it slow. A clatter of metal somewhere off made Amy jump, and suddenly she became aware of how alone she was in this dark place. She stood, and saw a silver moon slowly orbiting by. It filled most of Amy's vision, and parts of it looked like it had been riveted together, or sliced apart. She tilted her head at it as if it would explain itself to her, but Amy just shook her head, and barely managed to stand up. The red-orange femme brushed off her plating, and came away with heavy smears of black.

"Oh damn!" She looked down at her body once more sullied with black ash, ad burn marks. She turned her exasperated expression up to the sky, and rolled her optics. "Oh, _really?_ Am I to assume the universe _hates_ me or something else irrational, and inexplicable like that?"

"An interesting thought." A voice said behind Amy.

The femme stiffened, but then relaxed. "I know that voice." She murmured as she turned. A smile started to glow on her face, but it quickly vanished to confusion. "Hey...Bumblebee? What's with the black?"

Before Amy stood the unmistakable figure of her sparkmate and friend Bumblebee. His normally cheery yellow exterior was black with mere glimpses of the yellow that was once his primary color. He said nothing as Amy scrutinized him, his gaze seeming to scrutinize her in return.

"Can't say I like the black," Amy forced a chuckle. "So, who died?" She watched black Bumblebee as he shifted his weight, and folded his arms. The femme suddenly felt very uneasy. He's mad, she thought, at me? No, some other part of Amy's mind told her this wasn't anger, it boasted something else, something dark to be sure.

"You're skinny." He said, moving his arms until he was looking at a transparent screen that projected from his arm. "You'll do."

"Bumblebee." Amy said. The black mech glanced at her with no regard. "Bumblebee, it's me Amy. I know you don't recognize me, but it's true." She cupped her hands to her chest. "Bumblebee!"

Bumblebee lifted his head, considered Amy for a moment then said something in Cybertronian that didn't sound nice at all.

Amy's brain threw up little red flags, all of them waving madly for her to get out - get out now. Run away, because this for sure was not Bumblebee. This wasn't home. Not yet. She took a tentative step backward.

"Ah ah." Bumblebee said in a low tone.

Amy took another step.

Bumblebee shook his head. "You're not going anywhere." He raised his right arm as it shifted into a cannon, and fired a spiny net at Amy.

Amy held up her hands, and the net passed through her.

Bumblebee shouted in is native tongue then got on his comm., still shouting.

Amy turned, and bolted, not sure where she was running to, or from. What planet was this? Why was Bumblebee so quiet, and black? She dodged through alleys, and suddenly became aware of more than one bot chasing her. Shadows became moving objects, and the shouts and footsteps were suddenly above the femme. Amy ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She vaulted a fallen support beam from a building, and hit the ground running.

"Don't stop, get it! Prime wants it, go after it!" Another familiar voice bellowed. Amy willed herself on, not to stop. Her optics searched frantically for an escape, there was just no shaking these bots!

Above Amy, jumping rooftops, three figures tracked her. One got on its comm., and in Cybertronian said. "We have it, it's headed for the crater. Hound and Mirage are set up for the trap."

The footsteps both above and behind slowed, and grew distant. Amy stopped at the edge of the alley she ran down. Something was wrong. Those things, whatever they were, had tracked Amy this far, so why stop? With minute relief, the femme stepped out of the alleyway, gasped, and lost her footing as the street disappeared beneath her, and she plummeted into a wide, deep crater. As Amy fell, arms swinging out to catch on anything, she saw the city - dilapidated, and blackened, the remnants of war seeping from every window, wall, and bolt. She rolled down the side of crater, limb over limb, arm over arm. The world spun with nothing to stop her, slow her, or offer relief.

Something long, sharp, and thick slammed into Amy's leg as she came to a stop at the bottom of the crater. Amy's scream ripped the sky and ground as the pole twisted, and a mech's voice chuckled.

"I like this one. High pitch, long wind, got a lot of potential. No wonder Prime sent us out."

Amy turned, grabbed the pole, and tried to pull, but the pain was unbearable. Her vents panted, and she tried to think quickly, tried to call on Vector Sigma for help, but the little bits of power were non responsive.

The other mech slapped his cohort on the back of his head if the metal clank was any indication. "Slagger! Not that the Takion she gave off has anything to do with it! So stupid sometimes, Hound."

"Take that back , Mirage, or they'll be cartin' you back in itty bitty pieces!" Hound pulled a weapon on Mirage, and aimed it under the dark blue mech's chin. Amy could hear Hound grind what teeth Autobots had, and felt the hostility rolling off of him.

Mirage was barely fazed. "If you can catch me." Suddenly the blue pair of feet next to Amy's head disappeared.

Amy prepared herself for excruciating pain, and then jerked her leg out of an unsuspecting Hound's grasp. She jerked the pole out, lubricants, and something dark red leaked out at an alarming rate. The red-orange femme didn't wait for Hound to react. She hit him on the side of the head hard enough to knock him sideways then turned, and swiped, but hit nothing.

"Damn it." She held the pole ready, reaching out with her Vector Sigma senses to find Mirage, but he was well hidden. She knew it wasn't right to goad anyone, or bait them, lest there be lethal consequences, but Amy knew both Mirage and Hound had reputations that had her believe they were less than confrontational, even borderline conscientious objectors. "What's the matter, Mirage? Too scared to fight me face-to-face?" Amy shouted out.

Something slammed into Amy's back, and sent her back to the ground.

"You've got spunk." Mirage said above Amy, dissolving from the darkness to his robot self. "And attitude." He crouched down next to the femme, and lifted her head by one of the dangling decorative bundles of wire. "I hide because it's more fun to watch my opponent grow mad with fear before I strike them dead." With that, Mirage slammed the butt of his weapon down hard enough into Amy's head to knock her unconscious.

When Amy awoke, she could feel the bars crushing her into a space much too small for her. It was darker than outside, no light penetrating the space she was now contained in. The silence was deafening, that is if she wasn't deaf after that blow to the head. Amy started to think being knocked out was going to become some kind of trend, and made a mental note to stop underestimating Autobots just because they looked familiar.

Something moved, and scrambled up behind Amy. Arms reached out, grabbed the femme around the neck, and pulled her tight against the bars of the cage, and stuck her with a needle of some kind.

"Get off me!" Amy tried to shake the being off. "NO! HEEELP!"

"Hold still." A femme voice said close to Amy's head. "Stop squirming, or you'll hurt yourself." There was another sharp prick to Amy's neck, and then the femme released Amy.

Amy tried to sit up, but hit her head on the top of the cage. "DAH!" She turned, and pushed away from the side of cage with the crazy needle-sticking femme in it. "What the hell?" She raised her fingers to her neck, but nothing felt different to the touch.

In the dark, Amy saw the dim glow of red optics everywhere, closest being the femme that stuck her with a needle, most likely. In the faint reflection the red optics gave off, Amy could make out the nearest femme glance behind her then look back at Amy, and raise an optic ridge. "I reckon that's about as good a thank you as I can expect." The optics moved off, and the femme leaned against the opposite side of her cage from Amy.

Amy shook her head, rubbed the spot on her neck where the needle had stuck it, and looked around. She noticed all around her, pairs of red optics stared, most of them quiet.

Amy looked back to the needle-sticking femme, and frowned. "Why'd you do that? Stick me, that is." She lowered her hand to the floor of the cage.

"It'll help take the sting away when they test you."

"Eeew, it stinks." Somebot gasped. Amy could see in her mind, fingers plugging a nose. "What is that?" Something shifted in the dark. "Primus, I can't get away from it. Slaggin' cage."

"It's takion radiation." The needle-sticking femme said in a less-than-bored tone. "Get used to it, it isn't going away any time soon." her red optics blinked slowly, and Amy imagined her yawning, or doing something similar. Her optics lowered to the cage floor, Amy assumed, as they cast down a moment then turned back up to consider the red-orange femme carefully. "You a Decepticon?" She inquired.

Before Amy could vehemently protest, a deeper female voice with an unmistakable accent interrupted. "Must be, lookit them optics." The femme to Amy's right, much larger than herself or the needle-sticking femme, moved closer to the bars. "Slag-suckin' goody goody is what she is." The red optics peered at Amy, one narrowed skeptically. "Never seen 'em with green optics, tho'."

Amy glared at the large femme to her right, and hoped she could tell. She could if the way her optic ridges shifted up was any indication. "Listen, I'm not a Decepticon, so put that out of your head right now! Decepticons are evil, and I hate them, and my optics aren't _that_ strange! At least they aren't red!"

The large femme snorted, but didn't reply.

"She still smells gross." The same annoyed voice from somewhere away made no attempt to hide her disgust.

"Stuff it up yer exhaust port, Arcee." The large femme sighed, and her optics moved back and forth as she rolled them, and shook her head. "Yer not sittin' right next to 'er."

"So move." Amy muttered. "If I smell so bad, just go to the other side of your cage." She flicked a wrist, knowing the large femme couldn't see it.

"You say somethin, shorty?" The large femme growled.

"Enough, Chromia!" The needle-sticking femme shouted in disgust. "Arguing doesn't change that we're all here."

"Uppity little-! Don' you tell me that, Firestar!" Chromia hit the bars of her cage, eliciting blue sparks.

"ZIPFILE IT!" Firstar shouted. Then in a quieter voice said. "They're coming back soon."

"I'm not afraid of them!" Arcee stomped her foot or something if the rattling of metal was any indication. "Let them torture me, it's better than sitting around in this tiny cage all day."

"I am." Whispered a voice so near to Amy, it made her jump.

"You'll wish you had that cage when they _do_ come after you." Chromia laughed in a derisive way. "Better you than me!"

Amy searched the darkness for the owner of the tiny voice. She turned, and looked behind her, and two little blue optics stared up at Amy from the floor of the next cage.

"They come and take a bunch of femmes away. I hear them screaming all the way from the citadel." She must've been laying on the bottom of her cage because an arm or something blocked one side of her face. "Some of them come back just missing a limb if they're lucky."

"Lucky? HA!" Chromia barked. "The dead ones, they're lucky."

The little femme sat up, and shook her head. "None of them die. If they don't come back, that means Ratchet got 'em."

Heavy silence filled the air. It was the same pregnant silence that had developed when Tarantulus was spoken of back home.

Amy chuckled nervously to break the silence. "Why would you say that? Ratchet is a good doctor. He healed me, and has helped numerous bots get back on their feet." Her retort was met with more silence. "Hasn't he?"

Heavy laughter bore down on amy as dim light came on. Standing in the only large doorway into the room, an ominous shadow, a mech, stood with his arms folded. "You must be the prey caught out in the crater." He lumbered forward with a slight limp. Amy had seen that limp on one other mech, in two different realities.

"Ironhide?" Amy gasped, her green optics growing wide.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Uh oh. Evil 'Hide. o-O

TBC, so stay tuned! :D


	7. Shattered Glass Chapter 2

PLACE  
Shattered Glass Chapter 2

The right corner of his mouth turned up. Amy had seen that smirk on Ironhide before. Bots got hurt when he smirked that way. "So, you think you know Ratchet?" His smirk drew the corner of his mouth up higher.

Amy would have gulped if she could.

"Let's take a walk." The intonation of his voice made Amy slowly slide away from him, but didn't get very far as she hit the opposite side of her cage.  
A heavy click indicated something unlocking on the roof of Amy's cage, and then the top opened up. Red Ironhide reached inside, grabbed Amy by the ankle of her damaged leg, and lifted the femme up until her face was almost level with his.

Amy couldn't muffle her painfully pathetic whimpers as Ironhide held her up. His optics were uneven as Amy remembered them, one appearing to be swollen shut. The femme shook her head slowly, unable to make herself believe this was really happening. Ironhide turned, and dropped the femme on the ground then replaced the cage hood. Amy gave running some good, hard thought, but just didn't have it in her to try. Her leg felt like it would pop off any second, and now her back hurt like the dickens, too.

Ironhide grabbed Amy by the back of the neck in his vice-like hand. Something popped, and Amy was sure it was something valuable and functioning. Amy flailed as pain crept down her back, and twisted her sensor clusters into knots, eliciting screams she didn't recognize as her own.

Ironhide glanced at the dragging femme as they turned down a corridor. "Hound and Mirage said you can do better than that. I got Energon bet on your vocal capacitor, so you better open up those valves."

Before the mech's unbelievably callous statement could really sink into Amy's processors, Ironhide squeezed harder, several somethings snapping in Amy's neck, and twisted slowly. A satisfied smile spread across his face as the metal screeched, and Amy's scream climbed to petrified heights.

Just as Amy thought she would pass out from the pain, and stress to her vocal processors, Ironhide dragged her into a room full of sadistic laughter.  
"Called it!" Hound exclaimed, no more jovial than a brick. "I believe the bet was half your Energon rations, Ironhide!"

Black Bumblebee shook his head. "I'll be slagged. We could hear her screams all the way from the prison block." He sounded impressed in a Nosferatu kind of way. He turned, and nudged a navy blue mech. "Ain't your average piece o' work, eh Jazz?"

The navy mech nodded. "Still spineless."

Hound continued to laugh.

Jazz's arm transformed into a gatling, and he pointed it at Hound. "But that does put me out two whole solar cycles of Energon rations." He raised an optic ridge at Hound, and fired overkill into the mech's head.

Ironhide laughed.

Amy shut her optics, and let out a pained gasp.

"Fraggin' 'Cons. Can't even stomach fighting the war they started." Black Bumblebee sniggered. "I found this one just wandering around like a scrap-head I the middle of the city. No sentries, or back up."

"Astrotrain?" A silver mech asked.

"I said there was no one else, Sideswipe!" Black Bumblebee punched Sideswipe.

Sideswipe retaliated by extending a blade, and cutting off Bumblebee's offending arm. Bumblebee shouted an oath, and clutched his now dripping socket.  
Another door into the room opened, and standing there was a mostly white mech with black crosses on his shoulders, and various red accents. He chewed on what looked like the remnants of a red cigar that spewed black smoke.

"Sideswipe chopped off my fragging arm!" Bumblebee roared angrily.

"What do I look like, your personal repair bot?" Ratchet waved, and both Sideswipe and Bumblebee were tossed out unceremoniously.

Ratchet picked up the discarded arm, and tossed it onto a pile of various parts in the corner. "It's on my to-do list." He tossed away the cigar butt, and pulled another from a slot on his chassis. He took his time lighting it, took a deep puff, and exhaled black smoke. "Uranium oil cigars. Nothin' beats it." He approached Amy, and crouched down. "Maybe slicin' up a skinny little Decepticon." He winked at her, and Amy would have shuddered if she weren't in so much pain already.

It's a nightmare, Amy told herself. I'm dreaming, and any minute I'll wake up, and be home where everyone is nice, and Autobots don't torture people.  
"Hook 'er up." Ratchet said in a placid tone.

Ironhide lifted Amy up by her neck, spun her around, and slammed her against what felt like a vertical exam table. The red mech strapped Amy against it then turned to Ratchet. "Prime wants this one in perfect condition."

Ratchet stood by with a knife in one hand. He glanced at it then at Ironhide, and frowned. They stared at each other then with a sarcastic growl, the supposed medic said. "Ya don't say." His red gaze dragged over Amy in a calculated, sadistic way that made Amy think he wasn't to keen on cleaning her up. "You're sure about that? I wouldn't mind hanging this one on my wall." He smirk sent chills up Amy's spinal column.

Ironhide growled something in Cybertronian, and Ratchet waved a nonchalant hand, "Alright, alright. She'll be up and running, don't let Prime get 'is actuator in a knot."

Ironhide glowered at Ratchet then turned, and bellowed at the others, and they all walked out laughing. One mech with wide shoulders, and a gunmetal gray exterior remained, and approached the white mech, not giving Amy a second glance.

"How long this gonna take?" He folded his arms.

Ratchet didn't look up as he examined each of several disturbingly-shaped tools one at a time, holding them up to a dark light then setting them down. "Depends on how loud she screams." The smirk he cast Amy's way was enough to freeze her in her place. The femme wanted to cry, and almost did except she knew it would give the medic too much pleasure, no doubt.

The gray mech actually chuckled at that. "You sure you won't get a bit distracted for a few cycles?" He glanced at Amy. A glint of something in his red optics made Amy take pause.

Ratchet raised one optic ridge. "Are you slagged?" He looked at the mech, and he frowned. "Who the frag are you anyway?"

The gray mech removed a device from his side, and shoved it into Ratchet's torso, electrocuting the medic until the mech fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ow, shit, my foot." He tugged his foot from under the heavy white mech.

Amy started. "That's a human word." She said before she could stop herself.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just kinda sticks with me." He stepped over Ratchet, stowed the device, and started unhooking Amy. First her right ankle, then her left ankle, and then her right and left wrist.

Amy kicked the gray mech in the head, feeling something grind painfully in her back, and she cried out as the gray mech stumbled backward. The device the mech had used to stun Ratchet clattered at Amy's feet, and she quickly bent with a sickening crunch to pick it up then stood up quickly again.

"Wait, wait! I'm a friend!" He raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Like hell you are!" Amy held up the device, pulling the trigger, and it sparked. "Who are you? Where am I?" She lunged at him, but he grabbed her arm, and kneed it so she would release the device. "AAA!" Coolant pricked the corners of her optics as pain shot up her arm, and became muddled and twisted in her back and shoulders.

"Sorry. You'll thank me for this one day." He lifted Amy over his shoulder, and made for the door. "Think of it this way, if you scream, they'll come, and then what choice do you have? I'm trying to help you."

Amy started at that. Those bots had tried to kill her, or were getting her ready to give to a bot who would kill her - she wasn't sure.

He stopped. "Dammit, where is he?" He crouched down, and peered around a corner.

Amy looked at his armor somewhat upside down from her position, and this close she recognized him from her battles back home. "You're Starscream." She murmured, and thought about shooting him in the back, but her cannons wouldn't respond. "You're a Decepticon." Confused, she continued. "And you're helping me."

"That's right, I'm with the good guys." Starscream said almost happily.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Good Starscream? I dunno whether to be relived or even MORE worried.

TBC, so stay tuned!

R&R

~Zex


	8. Shattered Glass Chapter 3

PLACE  
Shattered Glass, Chapter 3

Amy paused. "Good guys?" She shook her head. "No, you're not. Autobots are the good guys." she narrowed her green optics at the floor. There was a heavy silence before Starscream answered.

"Autobots? Good? And in the same sentence?" Starscream blinked his red optics, and shook his head. "I never thought I'd hear it." He looked genuinely surprised, almost disturbed. "Unless it's 'Autobots are good at killing stuff'. That's the only sentence where Autobots and Good go together."

A black hand reached around the corner, and grabbed Starscream's broad shoulder.

"HYAAAAAAH!" Starscream jumped up, turned, and aimed his weapons at the purple mech, his vents panting.

The purple mech stared at Starscream with his one red optic, shaking his head in a disapproving way. He turned his gaze to the red-orange femme slung over the gray mech's sholder, and started. "You blithering idiot!" He exclaimed in a whisper, in a very Earth, European accent. "Are you barking mad? Who is she? We have to get out of here before this whole bloody place blows up!"

"They were gonna take 'er to Prime. I had to do something." Starscream shrugged, lowering his weapon. "She's not a 'Bot, Shockwave."

The purple bot, Shockwave, let out a long-suffering sigh. "Primus help me." Heg grabbed Amy, flipped her off of Starscream's shoulder, and into his own arms. "Send the signal, and get your moronic aft our of here before we're all slagged!"

Starscream literally took off in an adjacent direction than Shockwave ran carrying Amy.

Amy didn't know what to say. This guy Shockwave was mildly familiar - like she'd seen him in passing. She wanted to say something, but what? He didn't seem so happy that she was here, or that he was carrying her. "Where are you taking me?"

"Sorry, love, not listening presently." He stopped at a junction then quickly ducked back behind the wall as a veritable wall of plasma fire followed their previous position, and set Amy gently on her feet. "Are you alright to walk?"

Amy shook her head. "Not really, no. Ironhide broke something in my neck, and now everything hurts."

The plasma fire stopped, an eerie silence following.

Amy stood, but Shockwave pulled her back, down with one hand, and put his free hand with a slim cannon mounted on it over her mouth. Amy eyed the cannon with wide optics then turned her gaze to the purple mech holding her down.

"Come oooout, Deceeepticoons." Came a hissing sort of taunt. "We won't hurt you."

Amy narrowed her optics at Shockwave, wanting to say Now what?

Shockwave looked around for an exit, but heard angry voices approaching from the opposite direction. "Bugger it." He grabbed Amy, rolled into the line of fire that rained from the wall of Autobots, taking several hits, but made it to the opposite end of the corridor. They hit the ground running so-to-speak, and were off again, though now Shockwave pulled Amy by the hand, and limped slightly.

"You're damaged!" Amy exclaimed. Obviously, she thought.

"Nevermind, just run!" Shockwave got to the end of that corridor, and came to a two-way fork. "Blast." His voice strained. He held his side with his free hand as he continuously looked left and right.

Angry shouts, and many footsteps approached the cooridor.

"Starscream!" Shockwave shouted into his comm. "What's your position?"

Amy looked behind them. "Whoever they are, they aren't gonna stop until we're dead."

"Shockwave to Astrotrain, I'm in sector Taoreez. Where are you?" Shockwave pulled Amy right, and ran/limped as fast as he cold, which wasn't very fast, and losing speed.

-Almost at your position. Get to as open an area as you can. I've got Starscream.-

Shockwave sighed, looked at the femme he was pulling behind him then said. "I have one more passenger."  
-What?-

"I'll explain later, just get us the bloody hell out of here!" Shockwave exclaimed.

¬-Y-yeah, right. I'm on my way!-

Amy frowned at Shockwave as they stopped again in a wider junction, the starry night sky above them. "Will you stop doing that? I'm gonna break my face on you!" She rubbed her nose. "Geez, what are you made of?" She groaned.

"Cybertanium." Shockwave said distractedly as he looked around.

Amy was about to ask if he was serious when a shuttle roared into view, and quickly descended. "Wait, I'm not getting on-AA!"

Shockwave threw Amy quite unceremoniously onto the shuttle then climbed in. "Astrotrain, go!" He shouted, walking toward the front of the shuttle.

The shuttle climbed into the air, shots bouncing of its keel as it soared away from the city. After a few minutes the shots stopped, surprisingly.

"Whew," Starscream sighed, and nudged Amy who sat across from him, with one of his feet. "That was a close one, but we did it." He winked.

Amy didn't have any response. Decepticons, she was sure these two had to be Decepticons.

Shockwave threw a luminescent pink cube at Starscream's head. It impacted, bounced, and fell to the floor of the shuttle. "IDIOT! OF ALL THE MORONIC, INDISCRIMINATE, SLAGGING, GLITCH-HEADED-!

"Heeey, heeeey, we have a lady present, Shock!" Starscream gestured to Amy.

Amy looked back and for the between the two sitting at opposite ends of the shuttle.

"BECAUSE YOU HAD TO GO OFF, AND-!..." Shockwave clenched a fist in the air then punched the side of the shuttle. "Bugger it."

"I risk my aft to save you two tinheads, and that's the thanks I get?" The shuttle's voice scoffed. "See if I come back for you next time."

"Apologies, Astrotrain." Shockwave sighed, rubbing his hand then looked at Starscream. "It wouldn't have been close, or even remotely close if you hadn't tried to save this - this -" The purple mech gestured to Amy with a waving hand.

Shockwave's blatant disregard for Amy from the moment he had taken her reluctantly from Starscream, and pulled her down corridor after corridor, not to mention being locked in a cage, and dragged down corridors by Ironhide, all raveled into a knotted ball of disgust, betrayal, and denial, and threw itself at Shockwave as Amy shouted at him.

"THIS WHAT? WHAT?" Amy stood up, though Shockwave towered over her. "What is you problem? I didn't ask to be saved! I didn't ask for any of this! All I know is that I fell into this world where everyone I know wants to kill me, and Decepticons saved my life. I've been dragged, broken, and I'm in so much pain I can't feel anything else, so if you really want to get in my face about your stupid mission, go for it!" Amy's heartbroken stare of rage drilled its way into Shockwave if the way his optic opened wider was any indication.

After a moment or so, Shockwave turned with his glaring red optic to Starscream again, and shouted. "She's injured?" The purple mech took two steps, and slapped the silver mech on the head, and then hit him again. "You idiot! And she was running damaged!"

The dirtied red-orange femme sat down to relieve the throbbing pain in her neck and back, but nothing eased the emotional pain inflicted on her by the uncaring stares and blatant disregard for her life the Autobots had showed. Her vents managed a sigh, and she stretched her legs out, though everything hurt when she moved any which way.

Amy thought about what to tell them. her human name, or the name Ironhide had given her? The thought of Ironhide made the red mech who had dragged her down the corridor come to mind. She had all but blocked out the droning shouts Shockwave pointed at Starscream, but with nothing else to do except maybe go into stasis lock, Amy turned her audio receptors toward them, but both mechs had lapsed angrily into Cybertonian gibberish Amy couldn't decifer.

"ENOUGH!" Amy shouted, tired of the negativity this world seemed to have in spades.

Both mechs turned to Amy, their argument suddenly silenced. Starscream's mouth hung open slightly. Shockwave shoved it closed then stepped toward Amy, and knelt in front of the femme.

Amy glanced at him, but couldn't look at his blood-red optic. She turned her head away, optics squeezed shut, but beneath her optic casings all she could see was the familiar faces with unfamiliar expressions of indifference and sadistic amusement.

Shockwave, his argument with Starscream not forgotten, but put on hold, gently grasped the red-orange femme's nearest shoulder, and squeezed.  
"AAA!" Amy screamed in pain.

"Way to go, Shockwave." Starscream sat up straighter, and frowned.

Shockwave released the femme's shoulder. "By Primus, they really did a number on you didn't they?" He leaned closer to Amy's shoulder, and could see the connector valves severed, and several steel hydraulic tendons hanging limp among wiring and sensor clusters. "This is Ratchet's work."

Starscream was silent, but his expression spoke volumes.

Amy managed to shake her head slightly, though it hurt worse than anything she had ever felt in her life. "Not Ratchet. Ironhide." She turned her head, and looked at Shockwave. "Ratchet didn't touch me, but his cigars smell terrible." She tried to joke, but the humor fell flat.

"She was in the same room as Ratchet?" Shockwave threw two more pink cubes at the gray mech.

"Not to be a killjoy, but that's my lunch you're throwing at him, doc." Astrotrain said. "I have to eat that, and I'm not completely thrilled that it's been on Starscream's head now."

"Heey, what's wrong with my head?" Starscream shouted to the shuttle they sat in. He rubbed his head, and sat back muttering.

Shockwave lowered his arm, containing the third of six or so cubes sitting in a niche next to him. He set the cube back in the niche, and sat back, only to hiss in pain, and clutch his side where he was losing a good deal amount of fluids.

"Woah, Shock man, are you okay?" Starscream gasped at the purple mech's wound. "When'd you get that?"

Shockwave just gave Starscream a glare.

Amy looked at Shockwave's wound, though the movement made her wince. The pain was starting to meld with her natural movement, which she knew wasn't a good thing. If her circuits started to mend themselves broken, she would never function right again. "Are you injured?"

Shockwave stared at Amy skeptically, his hands covering his wound. "You're a fine one to talk."

Amy slowly stood up, bracing her back on the wall of the shuttle then walked slowly over to Shockwave. She could see part of the wound beneath Shockwave's hand, and frowned slightly. "Typical. Class A-type plasma burn. No hydraulic damage. Minor circuit scarring, and your armor will be discolored, but you'll live."

Shockwave looked Amy over carefully with his one red optic. "Who are you?" He asked skeptically as the femme knelt in front of him.

The red-orange femme smiled at him. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Shockwave said.

"Move your hand." She touched Shockwave's hand. Shockwave just stared at her. Amy flicked his hand, and the purple mech pulled his hand away more out of surprise than pain. "I'm from another reality." Amy reached into her hip pouch, and pulled out her only roll of steel gauze then proceeded to wrap his wound. She reached her arms behind the mech, felt her back twinge, but it was getting easier to ignore it.

Shockwave shifted from the femme's nearness, and her comment. "Another reality?" He looked thoughtful as his gaze listed lazily away from Amy. He turned back to Amy's ministrations. "Are you a medic? You recognized my wound, at least."

Amy looked up at him. "Uh, kind of." She leaned in to wrap around his back again. "In training, I suppose. I was learning from Ra-I mean...somebody was teaching me."

Shockwave hummed as the femme continued to wrap him. "I'm not naïve, you know, love." He said in a softer voice as he raised his arms, and crossed them behind his head to give Amy better reaching room.

Amy feigned ignorance. "That's nice. I'm not sure what you mean, though."

"Oh, come on!" Starscream exclaimed. "You were about to say Ratchet! So what? You're an Autobot femme!" He scratched his head. "Still wasn't gonna let 'em torture you."

"Though torturing your own kind is no doubt Autobot business as usual." Shockwave muttered. "We Decepticons don't believe in that sort of thing." He looked down at Amy. "Or should we take you back to Ratchet?"

Amy looked away from Shockwave. "No, you...you don't have to do that."

Shockwave tilted his head at the femme, and his optic ridge raised.

Amy tied off the bandage, and stuffed what little was left of her steel wool gauze back into her pouch. "That'll hold, but you need to rest."

"Reeest, boom heeed." Starscream crooned. "You know that's what he'll say, prob'ly lock you in the med bay."

"I have more energon cubes here." Shockwave glared at the gray mech. "Lunch or no, eventually I'll make a dent in your sorry excuse for a processor."

An awkward silence fell between the trio, something Amy hated above all things.

"Um," She looked at Shockwave. "Thanks for saving me."

"Hey, I was the one that-!" Starscream protested.

"I didn't." Shockwave interrupted with an indifferent tone.

Amy started. After all that talk, he still regretted saving her? He had actually started to defend her for a moment there. "So you still think it was a stupid thing to bring me with you?" She backed up, and sat against the wall. "Guess I was a little hasty to bandage you up."

"I appreciate what you just did for me, and you're one less victim that will scatter on Ratchet's dungeon floor, but I had a mission, and Starscream jeopardized it by taking you." Shockwave bent one leg over the other, his hands still behind his head. "I was forced to adapt to a inconvenient situation." He narrowed his red optic at Starscream as he said this. "My morality negates leaving behind an individual such as yourself, but, and don't take this the wrong way, I did not go to that Primus-forsaken planet to save you."

Amy was done feeling anything, so she allowed anything emotion-like to shut down until further notice. She hurt to much to feel, or cry, or shout. Though, later, if perhaps these "good" Decepticons saw fit to heal her, she may be in a better mood to give Shockwave a piece of her mind. And, she thought bitterly, I'm sure he will choke on it.

"Asshat." Amy stood up, and walked shakily as far away from Shockwave as she could, and slumped against the wall. After the events of the day all sank in over the course of five or so seconds, Amy began to realize. That was Ratchet, and he had every intention of torturing her, or maybe even killing her, though she got the feeling death would be the easy part. Tears slipped down her face, because there was nothing else she could do.

"Aw, now look whatcha did, Shock. You made the pretty femme cry." Starscream pouted at Shockwave. "You're such a - hey, what was that word you said?"

"Asshat!" Amy shouted.

"Yeah, Shock, you're an asshat." Starscream sat back, and folded his arms. "she went and bandaged you up and everything, and you said really horrible things to 'er. I'd apologize."

Shockwave didn't say anything.

"Beginning landing procedures. All bots, hang on, and be nice about it!" Astrotrain exclaimed.

"No need to get your knickers in a twist." Shockwave muttered.

Starscream snorted. "You picked a really weird Earth dialect, y'know. Half the time, I don't know what that slagger is saying." He shook his head.

"As if The Doctor is any better." Shockwave said, gaze turned to the wall next to him.

Amy nodded absently, but didn't say anything. she looked at Shockwave then Starscream. Nice Decepticons, Evil Autobots. Could this world get any weirder? She prayed not.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

TBC, so stay tuned!

R&R

~Zex


	9. Shattered Glass Chapter 4

PLACE

Shattered Glass, Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own recognizeable characters save for Amy

The chair flew across the room, and smashed into the wall. "YOU LOST IT?" Prime roared at the five Autobots standing in a line before him. "HOW COULD YOU LOSE ONE PATHETIC LITTLE FEMME?"

Ironhide was silent, his head bowed against their dictator's rage.

"There was another bot in the infirmary. A gray one," Ratchet said. "He zapped me with something, and took the femme."

Prime glared at his minions. "You let one of Megatron's incompetent scum take it from you?" His voice was low, and even, an even more menacing tone than his shouting.

"Hardly." Ratchet muttered.

"Well," Prime sat back. "Someone has to take responsibility for this." He looked at Ratchet then down the line at the bots with their gazes cast down. He eyed Bumblebee's arm. "Bumblebee, where is your arm?" His frown deepened.

Bumblebee looked up. "Sideswipe -!"

Prime fired on Sideswipe before Bumblebee could finish. The silver mech slid back across the floor, and into a wall, a gaping hole where his chest used to be. Prime stared at the limp body, and sneered. "I trust that should be a sufficient amount of parts for the arm to be repaired."

Ratchet bowed. "Yes, lord Prime." He turned, and signaled two bots to pick up the lifeless body.

"Get repaired, and get after that femme. I want it back here online." Prime growled.

The bots all bowed then turned to leave.

"Bumblebee." Prime said.

Bumblebee stopped, and turned to face Prime. "Yes, my lord."

"I have a special mission for you." Prime said with an unnerving smirk.

The others departed, leaving Bumblebee alone with Prime.

"I'm honored, my lord." Bumblebee bowed again, though honored wasn't as true as either annoyed or utterly terrified.

"You have always been of particular use to me, Bumblebee. Your talents appear to be useful once again. Go to the Decepticons' moon base, I trust you can get there."

"Yes, lord." Bumblebee nodded.

"Befriend them." Prime said unexpectedly.

Bumblebee started. "But, Prime-!"

"DO NOT QUESTION MY ORDERS!" Prime bellowed. "OR YOU WILL SHARE THE MATRIX WITH SIDESWIPE!"

Bumblebee bowed. "Of course, my lord," He paused before continuing. "I will make my way in, my lord. I only meant that the Decepticons will not simply let me walk in."

Prime made a face that made Bumblebee twitch. "Then you will not _walk_ in."

Bumblebee narrowed his optics. "Yes...lord..." He said, bowed, and turned.

Prime stood, aimed at Bumblebee and fired. Not to kill...entirely.

A large bot moved from the shadows, his burning red optics considering the mech on the ground. "Nice shot." Said the mech.

"Thank you, warpath. I trust you know what to do." Prime sat back down.

"Trust." Warpath snorted. "Not a word I hear often from you, my lord. I'm honered."

"No more than you should be." Prime growled.

Warpath bowed, moved to pick up Bumblebee, and left the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The shuttle took them to a small planet orbiting what Amy assumed was Cybertron. She watched the planet disappear around a dark wall from view as Astrotrain flew into a deep-set hangar on the base. Upon landing, Amy had no idea what to expect. She saw various bots milling around. All had blue optics, and for the most part it reminded her of Autobot City - if Autobot City had been inside one of Cybertron's moons.

The rear door of the shuttle opened, casting a fluorescent light into the dark depths of Astrotrain's interior. Amy squinted, and shaded her optics from the light as Shockwave and Starscream stood silhouetted by the light. Shockwave glanced at the ashen red-orange femme, but instead turned, and stepped out onto the concrete floor of the hangar.

Starscream made a grand sweeping gesture, and grinned at Amy. "Welcome to Moonbase One!" He announced.

"You're joking." The femme stared at Starscream incredulously.

Starscream looked amused, and replied. "No. Oh, the name. Yeah, I know, but that's what Megs gets for letting Shockwave name the base." Amy stood up, took a step, and suddenly her vision spun. She tried to keep her balance by leaning on the first thing she touched, but it was no use. Her brain was hellbent on going into stasis lock, so the femme gave in, and fell to the floor of the shuttle. The last thing she remembered hearing was a voice calling out to her. Typical. _Now_ that English-speaking Cyclops was worried...

A small voice crying and shouting filled Amy's hearing as if it came from far off. She gasped, and sat up quickly. She lay in the field of flowers she recognized as her connection to Vector Sigma. The crying was still far off, but the voice screaming was unmistakeable.

"Where are you? Bebop!" Amy shouted.

A second then a third, and more voices still all joined. Crying, screaming, wailing for something. Amy covered her ears, unable to stand the heart-wrenching sounds.

_Mommeeeee!_ His little voice screamed.

Amy looked up, tears falling from her eyes. "Don't cry, baby boy." She whispered then louder shouted. "Don't cry, Bebop! Please! Please stop crying!"

**I'm sorry, but they can't hear you**, said a voice all around Amy. **They aren't your family.**

Amy sat back, relief and sorrow filling her. "Who are you?" She asked cautiously, knowing what happened last time she trusted a voice in her head.

**We are The Matrix of Leadership.**

Amy snorted as she stood. The screaming voices continued, and the human girl did her best to block them out. "Right. I'll believe that when I see it."

Before Amy, a bright blue light appeared, housed in a curved cage of sorts. It floated in front of her above six shadows on the ground.

Amy gasped, and turned to look behind her, but there was nothing. She turned back to the Matrix, and the shadows that still remained. "Okay," She sniffed, her tears claming. "That's really weird."

**We have waited a long time for you to come to us. We are the Primes, and you are our most precious descendant.**

Amy raised an eyebrow. "In case you didn't know. I was human not too long ago."

**There is much to discuss, Amy, and so little time to discuss it in. You deserve all the answers you seek, and thus you will get them.**

Amy didn't know what to think about that. Answers? _All_ of the answers? Why was the chip in her head? Why had she been transformed into an Autobot? Why did she have these powers? What about Unicron? And Twilight.

**Yes. With time, you will know the answers to these questions and more.**

"Tell me something, please." She begged. "How did that chip get in my head?"

**That is the longest story of all, but as you wish, we shall tell you.**

Just like that, Amy was transported to a room with the six primes all standing around a small figure on a table. Amy gasped. She covered her mouth, worried they had heard her. What would they do to her if they knew she was here?

**Be at peace. They can not hear or see you**.

Amy reached out hesitantly to the figure nearest her, and her hand passed through it. **These are memories of the past. Memories we want to share with you, memories you deserve to have.**

Then Amy was looking down on the table where a robot about the size of a human infant lay. Inside its chest was a spark, and in its head was the little blue chip that had caused Amy so much trouble.

**Our greatest legacy. Our greatest secret. We built you to protect humanity from the evils of the universe.**

The Primes set the protoform baby into a metal pod. Amy witnessed them firing it off into space.

**Our daughter traveled the stars until she found a planet she could call home.**

"Let me guess. Little robot baby travels the universe, and then crash lands on Earth where she's adopted by farmers, and later becomes Superman - I mean, me." She muttered sarcastically.

**If only you had landed with such subtlety. The people of the planet were not so understanding. Your pod attracted the attention of greedy government from around the world. They flocked to your crash site, but the first to reach it was Japan.**

Amy perked up. "Not what I thought you were going to say. Japan, really?"

**Yes. The lesser of many evils.**

Vehicles with the Japanese red dot painted on the doors surrounded the smoking crater. Soldiers lined the crater's edge as four people in hazmat suits ventured into the crater. One of the people touched the pod, and it opened revealing the robot infant curled up in a fetal position. Then the same person reached out to touch the robot. Another hazmat person tried to stop them, but they were shaken off. The hand touched the little robot, and it flared with light for a moment then suddenly it was flesh and blood - at least to the naked eye. The hazmat person who had touched the infant robot removed their hazmat hood, and looked down at the baby.

Amy's eyes grew wide, and started crying again. "Mom?"

**This human was unafraid. She took you back to their base, and cared for you as her own.**

"Did they do experiments on me?" Amy asked tentatively, not sure she really wanted to know.

**No, but they placed our daughter in this woman's care. She raised you as her own until one day something unforeseeable happened.**

"Trigger, wasn't it? The Autobots created Twilight, destroyed her, and sent her optic out into space." She frowned. "Why her optic?"

**Not Twilight's optic, her innocence.**

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon? Twilight and innocence don't exactly go hand-in-hand."

**In the beginning, two sparks were created, each born from the other. Your spark was everything we had hoped for. Pure, and peaceful, and willing to protect, while the other was treacherous, and greedy, wanting nothing but to destroy.**

"Twilight." Amy felt a sense of understanding flooding her. "That's why she could contact me. That's why I can use Vector Sigma's power." She gulped. "I _am_ Vector Sigma, _and_ a Prime."

**Yes, daughter.**

Amy shook her head slowly, and tried to sit down, but couldn't. "Trigger - it wasn't all Trigger's fault was it? Starscream killed my mother to find me...didn't he?"

**Yes, daughter.**

"No." Amy sniffed. "I don't like it to all make sense." She started to sob.

**When you absorbed the human's DNA, your Cybertronian life was suppressed. Only when Tarantulus recognized you for you really are did your powers emerge.**

"Bastard made me lose my locket." Amy muttered, purposely changing the subject.

Then a sparkling silver necklace appeared in front of Amy. The heart hung open so she could see the empty interior.

**Your life is now anew. The loss of your human family is tragic, and will not go unpunished, but now daughter you must fulfill your purpose. Protect the people of every world from the half your spark that would destroy.**

Amy gasped. "Twilight. Here?" She looked up and around. "Hey, answer me!"

"Answer me!" Amy exclaimed. She sat straight up from the station she had been lying on. Slowly, her surroundings came back to her, but was this finally real? She looked up to the ceiling, and at the walls to the blinking lights and glowing screens of the consoles. It reminded her of Ratchet's medbay back home. She sighed with relief. At least she was alive.

"Reest Boomheed!" Came a small gargling voice. "Reest! Nuuu!"

A door to Amy's left opened, and a mech with a teal and white chest, grey upper legs and arms, and the same teal and white on his lower legs and forearms walked out backwards. "I'll bloody rest when I have the time."

A wrench flew past the mech's head. The wrench missed Amy, but so distracted was she, she didn't even flinch.

"Oh bugger it. Doctor, you almost hit the girl! Stop throwing tools before you bloody _hurt_ someone!" He shouted into the room.

The Doctor hissed something that made shockwave shake his head. Slowly the mech turned to Amy. "Sorry about him." He reached out, and touched Amy's hands. His hand was twice the size of Amy's, and was black with gray fingertips making it look like he was wearing black fingerless gloves.

Amy looked at her hands, back to their previous red-orange color, but she didn't care about that. She thought about the Matrix, and the Primes, and started to wish this was all a dream she could wake up from.

"Feeling better, love?"

Amy stared at the floor, unable to believe what she had just seen in her mind. Slowly she looked up, and met his gaze.

"Oh." Shockwave started. "Alright then?"

Amy tried not to cry as she said the only thing on her mind. "I'm a Prime."

Shockwave nodded. "Aye. Glad you see you're with us again."

"YAAAAAAHR!" A small, spidery-legged bot with bugging blue optics, and what appeared to be spectacles on its face leaped onto Shockwave's head holding a wrench of some kind, and proceeded to hit Shockwave over the head with it again and again .

"AGH! Doctor, bugger it! Get off me!" Shockwave shook his head, reached up to grab the Doctor, but couldn't as the Doctor kept moving, and hitting the offending hands that Shockwave tried to grab him with.

Amy stared in amused horror at the little creature beating Shockwave over the head.

"Reest! Reest! Reest! Reest!" The Doctor chanted.

Shockwave stumbled into the room he had come out of rather unceremoniously. The Doctor threw the wrench at the scientist for good measure, back-flipped off Shockwave's head, kicked a door lock button, and landed on the tool tray to Amy's right.

Amy jumped when the Doctor landed. Close up The Doctor had little crab hands, and scuttled to get a closer look at the now standing femme. He blinked his big, bulging optics at her, tilted his head then snarled something.

"Vikterrr Segma." The bugging blue optics pushed into Blazer's face as spectacles flipped over them to get a better look at the femme.

Amy blinked optic casings at The Doctor, but didn't speak. He snuffled something the femme didn't understand then scuttled down her arm, and across the repair station Amy had just been laying on.

The red-orange femme looked at the door then at The Doctor then took a step to the exit. The crab bot made no move to stop Amy, and in a few steps she was out the door.

"Woah!" Starscream grabbed Amy as she nearly fell down pushing past him. "Hey." He held onto her waist with one arm, and stared at the femme.

Amy felt the pit of whatever was inside her turn in knots as the mech's blue gaze considered her in wonder. "Let go of me...please." She forced out with intended politeness through clenched dentals.

Starscream righted the femme, his optics feigning disinterest. "You're welcome." he scoffed. "Not like you almost crushed me, or nothin'."

Amy took a step back away from the mech, and gave him a once over. He had a white head, gray face, and wide, black jet wings with red Decepticon symbols on them, and a light blue stripe following the line of the wing, light blue shoulders, chest, and torso, black upper arms, orange forearms, and hands, black legs with white bits on the knee, orange rectangles on the shin, and orange and black feet with jet engines as heels.

"This is too weird." Amy rubbed her optics with her hands, and tried to think about something relatively normal.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Starscream snorted. "Here I saved your life, and I don't even get a thank you." He rolled his blue optics. The mech turned to leave, muttering in Cybertronian.

"Wait." Amy reached out, and grabbed his arm, or rather a well-hidden blaster attached to, and the same color as, his upper arm. "I..." she looked at the weapon, and it folded into his armor right before her optics. "I'm just..."

Starscream let out a martyred sigh.

"I'm sorry." Amy finally said with a frown. "I just...I've been through a rough spot." she took her hand off Starscream's arm, and laced the fingers of her hands behind her head. "I am grateful, for you rescuing me, though..." She took a deep breath through her vents. "I think it's still sinking in that I needed saving."

Starscream watched her for a moment, and in that moment something flashed in his optics. Pity? Remorse? Amy couldn't tell, and it didn't bother her enough to think hard about it.

"Don't." Starscream frowned.

One optic ridge arched on the femme's faceplate. "I'm trying my damndest to thank you." She said without looking at the mech.

"Yeah, well," Starscream flicked a hand as he started away again. "Don't force yourself."

"Hey!" Amy shouted. "You're the one who was all like, _You didn't even thank me_." she mocked his voice. "So I am, and now you say don't?"

Starscream turned right around, and got in Amy's face faster than she could gasp. "Look, whatever-you-are, I dunno what your glitch is, but something ain't right about you, and alls I can tell is you have somethin' against Decepticons, so don't do me an favors by thanking me. I was just making conversation, but I can see that's totally lost on you, so forget I brought it up, okay?"

Amy wanted to smack Starscream. She had already been through enough, what with seeing the bots she knew and loved leaving her in the hands of Ratchet the sadistic torture-bot. Literally. Coolant pricked her optics as everything came crashing down on her all-at-once. "So you think I have a problem? I have good reason! How would YOU like to be transported to another dimension, where all your friends are evil, and your enemies save your life! It'd be pretty confusing, wouldn't it? It might even scare you! so back off, if I have a problem with Decepticons, I have every RIGHT to! THEY tried to kill me on a NUMBER of occasions. It might not be YOU specifically, but you're enough to make me want to run SCREAMING, right OUT of here!" With that, she turned on her heel, and stormed back to what she hoped was the safer confines of The Doctor's medical bay. At least there, Amy thought, I can try and get some sleep.

There were a lot of things for Amy to stress over, and cry out. Homesickness, wanting to see her newfound yellow love, to see her children, being told she was a Prime, with so much expectation on her shoulders. She wanted her human life back, her human name, and Trigger. She was now on a strange world, with good Decepticons, and sadistic copies of the Autobots. Amy couldn't help but think about the look the _other_ Ratchet had given her, so indifferent, calculating, as if to say - How long with THIS one last? And Ironhide...the femme shuddered so hard the berth beneath her shuddered, too.

A pointed leg brushed the wire bundle laying haphazardly across her left cheek, and made it hang over her right shoulder. It was a comforting touch, a friendly gesture of ' you'll be alright, now stop crying'.

Amy slowly turned her head, and saw five blue optics in a V-line with four more in a pattern like four dots on a die. It was a giant, dark blue metal spider with black legs, and smaller purple arm-like appendages extending from either side of its small, beak-like mouth.

A shriek scared the poor thing away, up a glowing blue strand of chord.

Amy relaxed as the spider hurried away along the ceiling, its legs making hollow echoes on the metal as it scurried into an adjacent room via an open doorway.

"Oh." Amy felt bad for scaring it, and sat up on the berth. "Wait, I'm sorry." she called softly. Though her optics still stung from tears, she shuffled to the open doorway, and peered in.

There was no main light in the room to speak of. A glowing green flask of something sent its luminescent contents up a tube where it turned blue, and dripped into another flask amidst other chemistry-like odds and ends. A large screen displayed several screens showing security footage of rooms in what Amy assumed to be the Decepticon base. She grimaced, and searched for a light switch. Having found it, she flicked it on, casting a bright, stale light into the room - more of an office.

"DAAEYEEEE!" A bot in the room fell back into a stack of storage crates. "T-TURN IT OFF!" The hoarse voice shouted.

Amy quickly flipped the switch off. "Sorry!" she gasped. "I-I'm looking for someone. It came in here."

The bot's panting could be heard, and then the almost rhythmic clicking of legs just as when the spider bot had been spooked by Amy's shriek, and run away.

"I'm a _he_, not an it." The spider said, its little mouth mouthing with the words.

Amy started. "Sorry."

The spider shook like shaking one's head no. "No, no, you don't have to apologize. Ah-I had it coming." He turned, transformed, and approached the large screen.

Amy started. "What? No, hey, it was _my _fault. Really. I get scared easily - more so as of late..."

The spider mech turned, stared at the red-orange femme for a moment then turned back to his console. "I thought you didn't want to be here."

Amy looked up. "Hmm? What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "You were crying, I just assumed, I guess." the screen changed as he tapped away at the console. "Nevermind. What I think doesn't matter."

The femme blinked. "You're...entitled to your opinion." She narrowed one optic at the spider bot's back. She watched him doing - whatever it was - for a few minutes, and made herself comfortable on a crate near where he worked. His robot mode fascinated Amy, and gave her a bit of déjà vu almost. His legs now hung from his back, but still functioned as appendages as he grabbed and set aside manuals of some sort. One leg had a white string wrapped around it, but Amy paid it little mind. he was mostly dark, but his two-pronged feet were bright orange.

They were quiet still as _he_ worked, and _she_ swung her legs idly from where she sat.

"What's your name?" He asked abruptly.

Amy started. "Huh? My name?"

He chuckled. It had a slight hiss to it, but was otherwise relatively pleasant.

"Yes, you." He nodded.

Amy twiddled her fingers then shrugged. "Well, bots call me..." She mulled it over. The name just seemed right. "Blazer." She said.

He considered that answer for a moment then nodded slowly, though his optics looked somewhat suspicious of Amy's answer. Before the bot had a chance to ask, Amy quickly interjected. "What's your name? Must be something cool with all those spidery legs." Déjà vu briefly made Amy shudder. Spidery legs, the way she said it, made her feel like she was forgetting something.

He shifted nervously, glanced at Amy a few times then finally replied. "Tarantulus."

Amy tilted her head then smiled. "I was right. That is a cool name."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Wassa matter with Amy's memory? She should HATE Tarantulus.

Find out in the next chapter!

:D

~Zex


	10. Shattered Glass Chapter 5

A small voice crying and shouting filled Amy's hearing as if it came from far off. She gasped, and sat up quickly. She lay in the field of flowers she recognized as her connection to Vector Sigma. The crying was still far off, but the voice screaming was unmistakeable.  
"Where are you? Bebop!" Amy shouted.  
A second then a third, and more voices still all joined. Crying, screaming, wailing for something. Amy covered her ears, unable to stand the heart-wrenching sounds.  
Mommeeeee! His little voice screamed.  
Amy looked up, tears falling from her eyes. "Don't cry, baby boy." She whispered then louder shouted. "Don't cry, Bebop! Please! Please stop crying!"  
I'm sorry, but they can't hear you, said a voice all around Amy. They aren't your family.  
Amy sat back, relief and sorrow filling her. "Who are you?" She asked cautiously, knowing what happened last time she trusted a voice in her head.  
We are The Matrix of Leadership.  
Amy snorted as she stood. The screaming voices continued, and the human girl did her best to block them out. "Right. I'll believe that when I see it."  
Before Amy, a bright blue light appeared, housed in a curved cage of sorts. It floated in front of her above six shadows on the ground.  
Amy gasped, and turned to look behind her, but there was nothing. She turned back to the Matrix, and the shadows that still remained. "Okay," She sniffed, her tears claming. "That's really weird."  
We have waited a long time for you to come to us. We are the Primes, and you are our most precious descendant.  
Amy raised an eyebrow. "In case you didn't know. I was human not too long ago."  
There is much to discuss, Amy, and so little time to discuss it in. You deserve all the answers you seek, and thus you will get them.  
Amy didn't know what to think about that. Answers? All of the answers? Why was the chip in her head? Why had she been transformed into an Autobot? Why did she have these powers? What about Unicron? And Twilight.  
Yes. With time, you will know the answers to these questions and more.  
"Tell me something, please." She begged. "How did that chip get in my head?"  
That is the longest story of all, but as you wish, we shall tell you.  
Just like that, Amy was transported to a room with the six primes all standing around a small figure on a table. Amy gasped. She covered her mouth, worried they had heard her. What would they do to her if they knew she was here?  
Be at peace. They can not hear or see you.  
Amy reached out hesitantly to the figure nearest her, and her hand passed through it. These are memories of the past. Memories we want to share with you, memories you deserve to have.  
Then Amy was looking down on the table where a robot about the size of a human infant lay. Inside its chest was a spark, and in its head was the little blue chip that had caused Amy so much trouble.  
Our greatest legacy. Our greatest secret. We built you to protect humanity from the evils of the universe.  
The Primes set the protoform baby into a metal pod. Amy witnessed them firing it off into space.  
Our daughter traveled the stars until she found a planet she could call home.  
"Let me guess. Little robot baby travels the universe, and then crash lands on Earth where she's adopted by farmers, and later becomes Superman - I mean, me." She muttered sarcastically.  
If only you had landed with such subtlety. The people of the planet were not so understanding. Your pod attracted the attention of greedy government from around the world. They flocked to your crash site, but the first to reach it was Japan.  
Amy perked up. "Not what I thought you were going to say. Japan, really?"  
Yes. The lesser of many evils.  
Vehicles with the Japanese red dot painted on the doors surrounded the smoking crater. Soldiers lined the crater's edge as four people in hazmat suits ventured into the crater. One of the people touched the pod, and it opened revealing the robot infant curled up in a fetal position. Then the same person reached out to touch the robot. Another hazmat person tried to stop them, but they were shaken off. The hand touched the little robot, and it flared with light for a moment then suddenly it was flesh and blood - at least to the naked eye. The hazmat person who had touched the infant robot removed their hazmat hood, and looked down at the baby.  
Amy's eyes grew wide, and started crying again. "Mom?"  
This human was unafraid. She took you back to their base, and cared for you as her own.  
"Did they do experiments on me?" Amy asked tentatively, not sure she really wanted to know.  
No, but they placed our daughter in this woman's care. She raised you as her own until one day something unforeseeable happened.  
"Trigger, wasn't it? The Autobots created Twilight, destroyed her, and sent her optic out into space." She frowned. "Why her optic?"  
Not Twilight's optic, her innocence.  
Amy raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon? Twilight and innocence don't exactly go hand-in-hand."  
In the beginning, two sparks were created, each born from the other. Your spark was everything we had hoped for. Pure, and peaceful, and willing to protect, while the other was treacherous, and greedy, wanting nothing but to destroy.  
"Twilight." Amy felt a sense of understanding flooding her. "That's why she could contact me. That's why I can use Vector Sigma's power." She gulped. "I am Vector Sigma, and a Prime."  
Yes, daughter.  
Amy shook her head slowly, and tried to sit down, but couldn't. "Trigger - it wasn't all Trigger's fault was it? Starscream killed my mother to find me...didn't he?"  
Yes, daughter.  
"No." Amy sniffed. "I don't like it to all make sense." She started to sob.  
When you absorbed the human's DNA, your Cybertronian life was suppressed. Only when Tarantulus recognized you for you really are did your powers emerge.  
"Bastard made me lose my locket." Amy muttered, purposely changing the subject.  
Then a sparkling silver necklace appeared in front of Amy. The heart hung open so she could see the empty interior.  
Your life is now anew. The loss of your human family is tragic, and will not go unpunished, but now daughter you must fulfill your purpose. Protect the people of every world from the half your spark that would destroy.  
Amy gasped. "Twilight. Here?" She looked up and around. "Hey, answer me!"

"Answer me!" Amy exclaimed. She sat straight up from the station she had been lying on. Slowly, her surroundings came back to her, but was this finally real? She looked up to the ceiling, and at the walls to the blinking lights and glowing screens of the consoles. It reminded her of Ratchet's medbay back home. She sighed with relief. At least she was alive.  
"Reest Boomheed!" Came a small gargling voice. "Reest! Nuuu!"  
A door to Amy's left opened, and a mech with a teal and white chest, grey upper legs and arms, and the same teal and white on his lower legs and forearms walked out backwards. "I'll bloody rest when I have the time."  
A wrench flew past the mech's head. The wrench missed Amy, but so distracted was she, she didn't even flinch.  
"Oh bugger it. Doctor, you almost hit the girl! Stop throwing tools before you bloody hurt someone!" He shouted into the room.  
The Doctor hissed something that made shockwave shake his head. Slowly the mech turned to Amy. "Sorry about him." He reached out, and touched Amy's hands. His hand was twice the size of Amy's, and was black with gray fingertips making it look like he was wearing black fingerless gloves.  
Amy looked at her hands, back to their previous red-orange color, but she didn't care about that. She thought about the Matrix, and the Primes, and started to wish this was all a dream she could wake up from.  
"Feeling better, love?"  
Amy stared at the floor, unable to believe what she had just seen in her mind. Slowly she looked up, and met his gaze.  
"Oh." Shockwave started. "Alright then?"  
Amy tried not to cry as she said the only thing on her mind. "I'm a Prime."


	11. Shattered Glass Chapter 6

I LIIIIIVE! I'm back, and I brought a nice fat PLACE chapter with me. :)

So, here we go! Decepticons, ho!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shockwave nodded. "Aye. Glad you see you're with us again."  
"YAAAAAAHR!" A small, spidery-legged bot with bugging blue optics, and what appeared to be spectacles on its face leaped onto Shockwave's head holding a wrench of some kind, and proceeded to hit Shockwave over the head with it again and again .  
"AGH! Doctor, bugger it! Get off me!" Shockwave shook his head, reached up to grab the Doctor, but couldn't as the Doctor kept moving, and hitting the offending hands that Shockwave tried to grab him with.  
Amy stared in amused horror at the little creature beating Shockwave over the head.  
"Reest! Reest! Reest! Reest!" The Doctor chanted.  
Shockwave stumbled into the room he had come out of rather unceremoniously. The Doctor threw the wrench at the scientist for good measure, back-flipped off Shockwave's head, kicked a door lock button, and landed on the tool tray to Amy's right.  
Amy jumped when the Doctor landed. Close up The Doctor had little crab hands, and scuttled to get a closer look at the now standing femme. He blinked his big, bulging optics at her, tilted his head then snarled something.  
"Vikterrr Segma." The bugging blue optics pushed into Blazer's face as spectacles flipped over them to get a better look at the femme.  
Amy blinked optic casings at The Doctor, but didn't speak. He snuffled something the femme didn't understand then scuttled down her arm, and across the repair station Amy had just been laying on.  
The red-orange femme looked at the door then at The Doctor then took a step to the exit. The crab bot made no move to stop Amy, and in a few steps she was out the door.  
"Woah!" Starscream grabbed Amy as she nearly fell down pushing past him. "Hey." He held onto her waist with one arm, and stared at the femme.  
Amy felt the pit of whatever was inside her turn in knots as the mech's blue gaze considered her in wonder. "Let go of me...please." She forced out with intended politeness through clenched dentals.  
Starscream righted the femme, his optics feigning disinterest. "You're welcome." he scoffed. "Not like you almost crushed me, or nothin'."  
Amy took a step back away from the mech, and gave him a once over. He had a white head, gray face, and wide, black jet wings with red Decepticon symbols on them, and a light blue stripe following the line of the wing, light blue shoulders, chest, and torso, black upper arms, orange forearms, and hands, black legs with white bits on the knee, orange rectangles on the shin, and orange and black feet with jet engines as heels.  
"This is too weird." Amy rubbed her optics with her hands, and tried to think about something relatively normal.  
"Yeah, tell me about it." Starscream snorted. "Here I saved your life, and I don't even get a thank you." He rolled his blue optics. The mech turned to leave, muttering in Cybertronian.  
"Wait." Amy reached out, and grabbed his arm, or rather a well-hidden blaster attached to, and the same color as, his upper arm. "I..." she looked at the weapon, and it folded into his armor right before her optics. "I'm just..."  
Starscream let out a martyred sigh.  
"I'm sorry." Amy finally said with a frown. "I just...I've been through a rough spot." she took her hand off Starscream's arm, and laced the fingers of her hands behind her head. "I am grateful, for you rescuing me, though..." She took a deep breath through her vents. "I think it's still sinking in that I needed saving."  
Starscream watched her for a moment, and in that moment something flashed in his optics. Pity? Remorse? Amy couldn't tell, and it didn't bother her enough to think hard about it.  
"Don't." Starscream frowned.  
One optic ridge arched on the femme's faceplate. "I'm trying my damndest to thank you." She said without looking at the mech.  
"Yeah, well," Starscream flicked a hand as he started away again. "Don't force yourself."  
"Hey!" Amy shouted. "You're the one who was all like, You didn't even thank me." she mocked his voice. "So I am, and now you say don't?"  
Starscream turned right around, and got in Amy's face faster than she could gasp. "Look, whatever-you-are, I dunno what your glitch is, but something ain't right about you, and alls I can tell is you have somethin' against Decepticons, so don't do me any favors by thanking me. I was just making conversation, but I can see that's totally lost on you, so forget I brought it up, okay?"  
Amy wanted to smack Starscream. She had already been through enough, what with seeing the bots she knew and loved leaving her in the hands of Ratchet the sadistic torture-bot. Literally. Coolant pricked her optics as everything came crashing down on her all-at-once. "So you think I have a problem? I have good reason! How would YOU like to be transported to another dimension, where all your friends are evil, and your enemies save your life! It'd be pretty confusing, wouldn't it? It might even scare you! so back off, if I have a problem with Decepticons, I have every RIGHT to! THEY tried to kill me on a NUMBER of occasions. It might not be YOU specifically, but you're enough to make me want to run SCREAMING, right OUT of here!" With that, she turned on her heel, and stormed back to what she hoped was the safer confines of The Doctor's medical bay. At least there, Amy thought, I can try and get some sleep.  
There were a lot of things for Amy to stress over, and cry out. Homesickness, wanting to see Jazz, to see her children, being told she was a Prime, with so much expectation on her shoulders. She wanted her human life back, her human name, and Trigger. She was now on a strange world, with good Decepticons, and sadistic copies of the Autobots. Amy couldn't help but think about the look the other Ratchet had given her, so indifferent, calculating, as if to say - How long will THIS one last? And Ironhide...the femme shuddered so hard the berth beneath her shuddered, too.  
A pointed leg brushed the wire bundle laying haphazardly across her left cheek, and made it hang over her right shoulder. It was a comforting touch, a friendly gesture of ' you'll be alright, now stop crying'.  
Amy slowly turned her head, and saw five blue optics in a V-line with four more in a pattern like four dots on a die. It was a giant, dark blue metal spider with black legs, and smaller purple arm-like appendages extending from either side of its small, beak-like mouth.  
Amy's shriek scared the poor thing away, up a glowing blue strand of chord.  
Amy relaxed as the spider hurried away along the ceiling, its legs making hollow echoes on the metal as it scurried into an adjacent room via an open doorway.  
"Oh." Amy felt bad for scaring it, and sat up on the berth. "Wait, I'm sorry." she called softly. Though her optics still stung from tears, she shuffled to the open doorway, and peered in.  
There was no main light in the room to speak of. A glowing green flask of something sent its luminescent contents up a tube where it turned blue, and dripped into another flask amidst other chemistry-like odds and ends. A large screen displayed several screens showing security footage of rooms in what Amy assumed to be the Decepticon base. She grimaced, and searched for a light switch. Having found it, she flicked it on, casting a bright, stale light into the room - more of an office.  
"DAAEYEEEE!" A bot in the room fell back into a stack of storage crates. "T-TURN IT OFF!" The hoarse voice shouted.  
Amy quickly flipped the switch off. "Sorry!" she gasped. "I-I'm looking for someone. It came in here."  
The bot's panting could be heard, and then the almost rhythmic clicking of legs just as when the spider bot had been spooked by Amy's shriek, and run away.  
"I'm a he, not an it." The spider said.  
Amy started. "Sorry."  
The spider shook like shaking one's head no. "No, no, you don't have to apologize. Ah-I had it coming." He turned, transformed, and approached the large screen.  
Amy started. "What? No, hey, it was my fault. Really. I get scared easily - more so as of late..."  
The spider mech turned, stared at the red-orange femme for a moment then turned back to his console. "I thought you didn't want to be here."  
Amy looked up. "Hmm? What makes you say that?"  
He shrugged. "You were crying, I just assumed, I guess." the screen changed as he tapped away at the console. "Nevermind. What I think doesn't matter."  
The femme blinked. "You're...entitled to your opinion." She narrowed one optic at the spider bot's back. She watched him doing - whatever it was - for a few minutes, and made herself comfortable on a crate near where he worked. His robot mode fascinated Amy, and gave her a bit of déjà vu almost. His legs now hung from his back, but still functioned as appendages as he grabbed and set aside manuals of some sort. One leg had a white string wrapped around it, but Amy paid it little mind. he was mostly dark, but his two-pronged feet were bright orange.  
They were quiet still as he worked, and she swung her legs idly from where she sat.  
"What's your name?" He asked abruptly.  
Amy started. "Huh? My name?"  
He chuckled. It had a slight hiss to it, but was otherwise relatively pleasant.  
"Yes, you." He nodded.  
Amy twiddled her fingers then shrugged. "Well, bots call me..." She mulled it over. The name just seemed right. "Blazer." She said.  
He considered that answer for a moment then nodded slowly, though his optics looked somewhat suspicious of Amy's answer. Before the bot had a chance to ask, Amy quickly interjected. "What's your name? Must be something cool with all those spidery legs." Déjà vu briefly made Amy shudder. Spidery legs, the way she said it, made her feel like she was forgetting something.  
He shifted nervously, glanced at Amy a few times then finally replied. "Tarantulus."  
Amy tilted her head then smiled. "I was right. That is a cool name."

Tarantulus fidgeted. "Really?" He asked as he shut down the console, and carried a disk in one hand to the door. He stowed the disk in a subspace pocket, and transformed back into his arachnid alt form. "No one's ever said than before." He muttered, sounding pleased with Amy's compliment.  
Amy walked alongside the spider, feeling like something should be wrong, but nothing was, so she didn't worry about it too much. She did notice the white string again as his legs made hollow clopping sounds on the floor, though she still didn't ask about it.  
Tarantulus glanced up at the femme at his side. "Why are you following me?" He asked.  
"Oh." Amy stopped walking, and looked around. "I don't know." She twiddled her hands, glancing back the way they'd come. "I suppose I should go back and rest, but I'm not particularly tired."  
Tarantulus quickly stammered. "Ah-I don't mind...really...It's just, I have work to take care of, and I wouldn't want you to be bored."  
Amy smiled. "I don't think I will be, but I wouldn't want to get in your way."  
"No, I just...don't want you to be bored." Tarantulus stood ahead of Amy, still in his spider mode, seemingly waiting for her to catch up.  
Amy took a step, but hesitated without knowing why. It was as if approaching Tarantulus was wrong - like being near him was dangerous. Amy shook her head. Why would that be?  
Tarantulus approached, and at Amy's feet, he hesitantly reached out, recoiled, and reached out again. This time, he touched Amy's leg.  
A rush of images Amy almost didn't recognize made the femme leap away from Tarantulus screaming from the sheer unexpectedness of it.  
Tarantulus's face, different somehow, with multiple red optics, cackling over her made the femme shake her head as if it would make the image go away.  
"What is it?" Tarantulus gasped.  
"I don't know!" Amy shrieked. Then she saw Tarantulus as he appeared the day Meisteer killed him. "Meister." She gasped, seeing the image of her daughter disappearing into the matrix. But Meister had come back, Amy could recall it.  
"Blazer!" Tarantulus exclaimed.  
Amy looked up. "What?" and just like that, the images subsided, leaving Amy less confused, though things about this world were still hazy. "Tarantulus." She said.  
"Yes. Are you alright?" The spider-bot asked, reaching out to her again.  
"Don't." She raised her hands against the wall. "Don't touch me again." She stood up.  
Tarantulus started. "Oh. Are...you were screaming...at me."  
"I'm sorry." Amy stood up along the wall. "Things have been weird for me lately. I think touching me triggered something."  
Tarantulus looked confused then shook his head, and crawled away a few paces. "I have work to do anyway. You should stay with Soundwave."  
"Soundwave?" Amy blinked. The name rang a few a warning bells, but then she reminded herself this was a backwards world, as if someone had shattered everything she knew like so much fragile glass. "Shattered Glass." She murmured.  
"What was that?" Tarantulus asked.  
"Nothing." Amy shook her head, and quickly followed after Tarantulus.  
Tarantulus lead Amy to a door with pounding bass tones behind it. The spider-bot stood off a little. "This door leads to the communications hub. You'll find Soundwave - and his minicons - there. Watch your step, and mind the oil cans."  
"Oil cans?" Amy asked, but Tarantulus had crawled up the wall, casting glances back at her as he rounded a corner to the next corridor. She looked back at the door, bit her thumb, and hesitated. "Do I knock?" She asked the empty corridor.  
"Gangwaaaaay!" A boisterous voice echoed around the corridor. A metallic white and blue panther ran by with a red and black minicon riding on its back.  
"Woah!" Amy dodged the cat bot.  
Rounding the corner next was a bird, and a bat. The two flying minicons dodged around the femme, shrieking as they sped down the hall through the now open door.  
"Tally-Ho! Tally-Ho!"  
Amy blinked. "Tally ho?" she murmured. She turned to leave, and bumped into a white mech rounding the corner.  
"Woah little dudette, where's the fire?" The white mech chuckled. He touched her arms, and Amy winced, expecting some kind of wash of memories, or images...or something...but there wasn't. "Where'd you come from? I would have totally remembered a groovy thing such as yourself coming to our righteous home base."  
Amy blinked. Did that bot just say righteous and groovy in the same sentence? "Um...well, I haven't been here long, so I suppose you haven't missed much."  
"Awesome!" The white mech clapped Amy on the back, and walked her along with him into the command center. "The name's Sir Soundwave, m'lady, or Montroso! The robot horror from the beyond!" He made a great show of waving his arm.  
Amy stared at the white mech, optic ridge raised. "Are you serious?"  
"Nah, just Sir Soundwave is fine." He laughed.  
Amy nodded slowly. So far, Sir Soundwave was the most welcoming of the Deceptcons Amy had met so far. "Okay, sir Soundwave."  
-Hi! Can u see me? I'm waving at u from the catwalk!-  
Amy looked around to see the origin of the text, and spied the white panther bot crouched on the catwalk, one paw waving excitedly.  
-U see me! If I friend request u, will u accept?-  
The glee Amy saw all over the panther's face made Amy laugh.  
Ravagekitteh has sent you a friend request. Accept/Decline?  
"Accept?" Amy said aloud.  
The word in her view accept, lit up green for a moment.  
You have accepted Ravagekitteh's friend request.  
"You know Yatter?" Soundwave asked.  
Amy shrugged.  
"Best thing since sliced energon." Soundwave winked. "But enough about my crazy cat. Where do you come from? Rumor is you're an escapee from the land of heinous torture."  
Soundwave's demeanor made Amy smile, and feel just a little bit at home.

Megatron stood near a console, readouts of varying origin and purpose spread across the screens. Tarantulus hung in arachnid form by the consoles as he explained his findings to the Decepticon leader.  
"The data collected by myself and Starscream is inconclusive, but suggests - although minutely that the femme rescued from the Autobot prison may be the source of the takion anomoly."  
Megatron nodded. "Through, as usual." He sighed. "So, what does this mean for us?" He folded his arms.  
"Well," Tarantulus rubbed his front legs together worriedly. "I don't know, uh, sir, but I can say that Optimus Prime won't simply let her escape, and leave it at that. He craves power, and if Blazer is the source of the anomaly, she is power incarnate."  
Megatron's optic ridge pulled together. "Is she a danger to us?"  
"No." Tarantulus shook his head. "Takions are time-traveling particles. It won't effect us directly, but they are unstable." The screen changed to a scan of the femme in question's body. "This scan was taken while The Doctor was repairing her. The particles are unstable."  
Megatron nodded. "Will the anomaly return?" His expression flinched only slightly from worried to pensive.  
"Sir, it isn't simply a question of if the anomaly returns, but when, and where." Tarantulus glanced at the door as Starscream walked in.  
Megatron nodded to the second-in-command.  
"She is not a danger, sir, but there's nothing we can do except make her comfortable until she leaves." Tarantulus said insistently.  
Megatron nodded. "Alright. You can go, Tarantulus."  
The spider nodded, and made his way out."  
"Starscream." Megatron turned, rubbed blue optics, and leaned against the console. "What did you find out from the Doctor's examination?"  
Starscream held out a datapad. "You don't look well, Megatron."  
Megtron shook his head. "I'm not. I haven't been recharging well with three of my soldiers extinguished in as many solar cycles, and one in critical condition."  
"We all with Shockwave a speedy recovery," Starscream paused. "If he'll sit still long enough to allow The Doctor to heal him."  
Megatron nodded at the datapad. "Nothing Tarantulus didn't find out in his scans." He set the datapad aside, and folded his arms. With a calculated expression, he looked up at Starscream. "Who is this femme you brought back from the prison? Does seem genuine to you?"  
Starscream allowed himself a small chuckle. "You mean, is she an Autobot in disguise?"  
Megatron shifted.  
Starscream shook his head slowly. "No, I've seen Autobots impersonate Decepticons. It's awkward to be around them, always irritable, and twitchy - the irritability alone gives them away."  
Megatron leaned a leg on the console, half sitting as he rubbed his optics again. "If you please, Starscream."  
"Sir." Starscream nodded. "Blazer is sincere, although confused. She is genuinely troubled by the Autobots' and Decepticons' roles in this war, and although we Decepticons are unfortunately accustomed to Autobot cruelty, she is surprised, even traumatized by it."  
Megatron nodded. "I can remember the shock when Prime turned on us, but that's old history."  
Starscream didn't reply.  
Megatron's vents sighed. "Back to the femme. She seem to be adjusting?"  
Starscream frowned slightly. "No, not really. Last I saw her in the corridor, she was terrified, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise."  
Megatron looked solemn. "That's unfortunate." There was a pause. "Starscream, I'm putting you in charge of her. See that she's comfortable, keep her calm, and above all else, please, make sure she knows that she is among friends."  
Starscream nodded. "Of course, sir."

Amy soon found out a favorite pastime of Soundwave and his minicons was "Ravage bowling". A game where low grade oil cans left lying around by Ratbat were stacked up in a pyramid in the middle of floor. Then Frisbee would ensue, but instead of simply catching the disk, Ravage would crash through the pyramid of cans, and cheering ensued.  
Ravage crashed through the empty cans, and buzzsaw caught the Frisbee in mid air, shrieking triumphantly.  
Amy laughed, and clapped her hands a couple of times. "Way to go, Ravage!"  
The white cat bot emerged from the pile of cans shaking her head.  
Soundwave wrestled the Frisbee away from Buzzsaw as Amy helped Frenzy stack the cans back up one at a time.  
The door opened, and Starscream ducked Buzzsaw as the bird minicon flew overhead still holding the metal Frisbee, its caw something of a cackle as Sir Soundwave chased it down.  
"Hey, Buzz, can't keep that up forever!" Sir Soundwave shook his fist as the bird flew up to a rafter, and proceeded to chew the Frisbee. "Hey 'Scream, how's it goin'?" He held up a hand. Starscream slapped it.  
"Still going, Soundwave." He leaned against the wall in the communications room proper, and watched the tower be reconstructed.  
Soundwave moved to a chair, and popped open a can of oil. "So, my good mech, what brings you on this fine day to the communications hub?" He took a swig.  
Starscream folded his arms. "I have a new assignment from Megatron."  
"Headin out again?" Soundwave passed the can to Starscream.  
Starscream accepted it. "No." He gestured toward Amy with the can. "I'm suppose to take care of her. See she's comfortable, etc." he swigged the can.  
Soundwave accepted it as Starscream passed the visco back. "I get it." He grinned. "Helpin' the fine femme get her legs back. Noble of ya, 'Screamer."  
"Stop calling me that." Starscream frowned.  
Soundwave laughed.  
"Come on, Buzzsaw!" Amy clapped her hands, and held her arms out to the bird minicon. "Bring me the Frisbee!"  
Sir Soundwave snorted. "Good luck with that, Buzz never..." His words fell flat as Buzzsaw cawed, and dove into the reddish femme's arms. It chirped happily, and rubbed its beak against her then hovered up, and let Amy take the Frisbee.  
Starscream looked at Sir Soundwave with smirk. "What was that about Buzzsaw never?"  
"Okay, ready?" Amy tossed the Frisbee, and both Ravage and Buzzsaw went after it. Buzzsaw dove, and caught the Frisbee, and Ravage somersaulted into the cans. Amy cheered, and jumped up and down, pumping her fists. "Wooo! Strike, Ravage!"  
Starscream shook his head with a smirk. He watched Ravage pounce on cans, and spread them around until all had been successfully toppled. Then his gaze turned to the red/orange femme coaxing the white cat bot toward her. Ravage jumped into the femme's arms, and rubbed her head all over Amy's chin. Then Ravage turned, and waved at Starscream with a subsequent text. Amy turned with Ravage, and waved at Starscream much to Ravage's excitement.  
Starscream rolled blue optics, and gave a half-hearted wave back. His commlink beeped, and he replied. "Starscream here."

A silver mech stood just outside the med bay, arms folded as he spoke into his commlink. "This is Sidewipe. Your seeker buddies found Bumblebee shot to scrap dumped on our doorstep." He narrowed red optics at the mech the Doctor and Tarantulus worked to repair.

Starscream looked at Sir Soundwave. "Seekers found Bumblebee dumped in pieces outside the base."  
Sir Soundwave started.  
"Bumblebee?" Amy gasped. Despite the fact that she knew this Bumblebee wasn't the one she had been torn away from, she felt a need to see him, to know he was alive. Bumblebee hadn't done anything directly to Amy to warrant her dislike of him.  
"A trick." said Sir Soundwave. "This whole thing reeks of unrighteous Autobot activity." He swigged the visco, and finished it off.  
Starscream nodded slowly. "Sideswipe."

Sideswipe still stood outside the med bay, optics narrowed. "Yeah."

"What exactly am I supposed to do about Bumblebee? Demolisher's head of security around here." Starscream watched Amy as she approached him, holding Ravage.  
"Did you say Sideswipe? Sideswipe is here? Isn't he an Autobot?" Amy exclaimed.  
Sir Soundwave pulled the femme aside, and explained. "A while back, Sideswipe had a heinous misunderstanding with the 'Bots, so he surrendered to Megatron, and said he wanted to kick Autobot skidplate." The white mech shrugged. "He's been on our side so far."  
Amy shook her head slowly. "What else don't I know about you bots?"  
"Plenty." Starscream frowned.

-x-x-x-

Just before dawn on Cybertron, and Wheeljack sat face-down on a console when Ratchet found him.  
"That's enough." The C.M.O. put Wheeljack's takion sensors on auto, and coaxed the half-asleep scientist out of his chair, and into his office where a mostly unused recharge station had been set up. As little as Wheeljack used his office, he went to his quarters even less, so Ratchet had long ago had a recharge station installed just for days like these when Wheeljack was finally out of energon, and crashed.  
Wheeljack grunted as the recharge station activated. Ratchet rolled his optics, and let the door close softly behind him. He turned, and surveyed the area, empty oil cans, and an energon thermos were scattered over the floor beneath the console.  
The main door opened, and Meister shuffled in, rubbing her arms, and yawning as her systems were still booting up from her recharge.  
"Ratchet?" The black and pink femme blinked optic casing a few times to get her sensors paying attention. "What hole you crawl outta?"  
Ratchet discarded the oil cans, and closed up the empty thermos. "My office."  
Meister approached the C.M.O., and folded her arms. "You been home since this project started?"  
"No." Ratchet replied.  
Meister nodded. "Uh huh, an' you say 'Jack's the oveh-worked bot." she shook her head. "Momma be ashamed ah you."  
Ratchet sighed. "I know." He sat down on a chair, and set the thermos aside. "But I can't make myself stop working. Not until she's home, or there's nothing left to do."  
Meister nodded. "Yeh, ah know. I want momma back more n' any bot. Even jus' long enough t' tell 'er ah'm sorry."  
Ratchet gave Meister a confused glance. "Sorry? What could you possibly be sorry for?"  
Meister sulked. "Not bein' there." she shrugged. "Now ah got mah own little 'uns t' worry about, an' ah I don' even have my momma he'ah t' tell me ah'm screwin' up."  
Ratchet patted the femme's shoulder. "You're not screwing up, Meister. Techno, Remix, and Mirror are the three of the most well-behaved -"  
"Say what?" Meister snorted.  
"Well," Ratchet shrugged. "Maybe not most well-behaved." He chuckled.  
"Ah's gonna say, you talkin' 'bout my boys?" Meister shook her head. "Uh uh. Techno spend half his time running 'round screamin', an' Springer close t' cuttin' dat boy down. Remix jus' sit by with 'is daddy readin'." She chuckled. "Mirror love slobberin' on 'er hand, an' das how you know she love ya 'cause she'll wipe it all oveh yer leg." Her vents sighed. " 'cept when it's Roadbusteh." Meister shook her head. "Mirror gotta get t' know somebody else."  
Ratchet nodded.  
"Like Drift." Meister snorted. "Drift 'least like 'em. Roadbusteh? Not so much."  
"How is Drift adjusting?" Ratchet asked.  
Meister nodded. "Good. Kup got 'im doin' some'in tho'. I don't ask, Kup don' wanna tell. Yo' name came up tho'."  
Ratchet nodded slowly. "Yes, it's a patient of mine. Drift is keeping them out of trouble during their energon purge."  
Meister shook her head. "Long as it ain't some'un ah know."  
Ratchet hesitated.  
Meister turned slowly, and looked at Ratchet. "It ain't some'un ah know, is it?"  
Ratchet shook his head. "No, you've never met."  
"Don' you lie t' me, Ratchet." Meister frowned.  
Ratchet shook his head again. "It's just a patient of mine." He patted, and squeezed Meister's shoulder. "Don't get bent out of shape over it." The C.M.O. stood. "Wheeljack never did sleep long, how 'bout you and this old model go and get more energon because when that scientist wakes up, we'll all be getting back to work repairing his machine."  
Meister nodded. "Which remin's me. Ah came he'ah t' tell ya, the wreckeh'll help anyway they can. Wreckin' is our game, but we build, too." She winked.  
Ratchet nodded. "Tell Kup I appreciate it, and so will Wheeljack."  
Meister turned. "A'ight ol' model." she teased. "See ya in a few megacycles."  
"If even that long." Ratchet snorted, casting a glance to Wheeljack's office.  
Meister waved as she left Ratchet to the rare silence of the laboratory.  
Ratchet sighed. "Your sister is very sick, Meister."  
Behind the mechanic, the light in the office flipped on, and the door opened. Wheeljack shuffled out groggily, rubbing his head.  
"'Ey, Ratch, how long was I out?" Wheeljack stretched his arms.  
Ratchet shook his head. "Barely ten microns."  
"Woah, ten microns!" Wheeljack exclaimed. "I musta been really outta it!" He pushed Ratchet aside with no regard, and brought up the schematic of the machine. The blue-print showed red area, which indicated places where repair was needed.  
"I'll get us some energon." Ratchet patted the mechanic on the back. "Oh, Kup and the wreckers are going to stop by and help on the large-scale repairs."  
"Large scale?" Wheeljack scoffed. "A diode here, a twist there, an' she's good as new!"  
Ratchet pointed up. "I'm talking about the building repairs."  
Wheeljack looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling. "Oh, that. Heh." He shrugged. "Forgot about that."  
"I'm going to suggest a shaft up to street level, so as to avoid any more unexpected destruction." Ratchet said, and turned.  
"That wasn't unexpected." Wheeljack said matter-of-factly as he climbed up a scaffolding to get to a place in need of repair on the machine.  
Ratchet sighed, and shook his head. "Of course, silly me." He muttered.

-x-x-x-

Amy woke up, not even realizing she had passed out, or been asleep. She blinked a few times, and sat up from the floor. Rubbing her head, she heard a whistle, and a chuckle.  
"Woah, righteous dudette!" Sir Soundwave leaned over a railing. "If you needed to crash, all ya need to do is ask!" He called.  
Amy started to stand up, but realized a white cat bot was curled up on her legs. she tilted her head at Ravage, and smiled. "Hey kitty kitty," she brushed Ravage's ear. The cat's white tail swatted the finger. "Okay, seriously." she picked up the white cat, who stayed asleep. Amy shrugged, and propped Ravage against her like holding a cat at home, though a bit bigger, and managed to stand up.  
"Pass out much?" Frenzy cackled as he ran by, and climbed up to perch on Soundwave's shoulder. Lazerbeak sidled along the railing just above Amy, head bobbing, watching the femme anxiously like a parrot.  
"I got a cure for that." said Ratbat behind Amy, glanced left and right then chugged a can of low grade oil.  
Amy stared at the bat for a moment.  
"What?" The bat snarled. "I can quit any time!"  
Amy shrugged. "So quit."  
Ratbat muttered, turned his back on the femme, and opened another can of oil with his teeth.  
Sir Soundwave climbed down to ground level. "Ah, don't mind them, Blazer. They're all worried." He swiped at Ratbat's back as he led Amy out of the communications room. Lazerbeak picked Frenzy off of Sir Soundwave's shoulder, dropped the red and black bot then took his place on the white mech's arm.  
"Lazerbeak! Two-faced squawking-! I'll show you!" Frenzy ran along the floor, leaping up, and swiping at the bird bot as they walked.  
Turned out, Soundwave knew all about Amy, where she was from, how she had gotten here, and so forth.  
"I detected that heinous takion pulse. Then voila, mystery femme. Doesn't take a scientist to put the pieces together. That, and the way 'Screamer says Prime wants you so much. Tch. old school deduction, milady." sir Soundwave laughed.  
Ravage woke up as Blazer and Sir Soundwave walked and talked, climbed up to Amy's head, and hung there like she'd done before.  
"Silly cat." Sir Soundwave snorted.  
Amy held up a holoframe she kept all of her pictures in. "This is my friend Moonracer back home."  
"I'd like to meet her." Sir Soundwave said appreciatively.  
"Down boy, she's taken." Amy shuffled through the pictures.  
"And what about you, milady? What fine fellow has captured your spark?" Soundwave asked just as Lazerbeak squawked, pulled down from his arm by Frenzy.  
"Oh! Lazerbeak." Amy turned.  
"Nah, they're fine." sir Soundwave waved a hand. "So tell me, Blazer babe."  
Amy hesitated. "Well," she sighed. "No," she shook her head. "It's complicated."  
"Ah, can't have what you want, eh?" Sir Soundwave elbowed Amy gently.  
Amy found a picture of Jazz, and held it up. "That's Jazz in my world."  
Sir Soundwave nodded. "Looks like a good fellow. Smiles. Jazz here? Not so much. He's all about beatin' ya down, and whatnot, bot thinks he's gotta prove how tough he is."  
Amy had no response, just a nondescript facial expression.  
A moment of silence passed between them as Amy shuffled through the pictures.  
"He's your bot, huh?" Sir Soundwave would've smiled had it not been for his face mask, and visor.  
Amy nodded. "Yeah, at least I think he still is." She shrugged. "After Unicron...ah..." She sighed.  
Sir Soundwave nodded. "Unicron. Mythos Gigantos. Makes sense though that somethin' that big would make a bigger bang, and send lil' miss Blazer breakin' takion barriers."  
Amy shrugged. "I still don't completely understand it."  
Sir Soundwave laughed. "Me neither, dudette!"  
Amy put the holoframe away. "Soundwave, have you...um..." she twiddled her fingers. "Have you told anyone about me?"  
Sir Soundwave paused walking. "No." He looked at Amy. "You want me to?"  
Amy shook her head. "No." she said nervously. "I just..." She scratched her head. "Don't know what people would say about it. I mean, the Autobots -"  
"Not your 'Bots, Blaze." Sir Soundwave placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Not your 'Bots."  
Amy let a deep rush of air go through her vents then nodded. "Yeah."  
"Soundwave!" Starscream shouted down the corridor.  
"Uh oh, Seeker patrol, dudette!" Sir Soundwave worried sarcastically.  
Amy laughed.  
Starscream caught up them, and frowned at the communications director. "Soundwave, I told you I would be right back. Where are you going?"  
Sir Soundwave made a bow at Blazer. "Just giving a righteous femme her due tour of our fair base."  
"Whatever." Starscream shook his head. "Get back to the communications lab before you miss something important. The Autobots are still out there, and you being here isn't helping us collapse Blaster's scrambling net!"  
"Uh oh, Sir Soundwave." Amy feigned worry. "Better go back to your cell before Starscream has a conniption."  
Sir Soundwave laughed. "As the lady wishes." He hopped backward a few steps. "Ravage, you keep your big eyes on the dudette. Rock on, Blazer!" He waved as he turned, and jogged back in the direction of the communications hub.  
Blazer waved then frowned at Starscream. "You're a rude one, aren't you?"  
Starscream started. "You're plucky. Adjusting I see."  
Amy shrugged. "Might as well roll with it." she watched Starscream carefully as he walked along side her, arms clasped behind his back. "I'm gonna be here a while."  
Starscream started. "Are you?"  
Amy folded her arms. "What? You gonna throw me back to the Autobots?"  
On top of Amy's head, Ravage growled.  
"No! Of course not!" Starscream exclaimed.  
"Well alright then, I'm gonna be here a while." Amy turned, and kept walking.  
Starscream followed after her. "Where are you going exactly?"  
Amy shrugged. "I don't know." She let her arms fall, and let them swing at her sides. "No, really," She looked at Starscream. "I don't know where anything is here, so even if I had a destination, I wouldn't know how to get there."  
"So you just want me to help you wander aimlessly?" Starscream asked.  
Amy shook her head. "No. I want you to take me to the infirmary."  
Starscream grabbed Blazer's arm, and held her up. "Wait, no," He shook his head. "I don't know if you caught what was happening down there. There's an angry Autobot in the infirmary right now, and Megatron has the placed sealed -completely off limits to us."  
Amy shrugged. "Well, I'm not one of you, so that doesn't really apply to me, does it?" She pulled her arm free of a stunned Starscream's grasp, and walked away. "I'll get there with or without your help."  
Starscream sighed, and shook his head. "Megs isn't gonna like this."  
Turning left and right, and left, and right through corridors, Amy eventually found a silver bot standing against a wall, arms folded. He didn't look happy, which Amy suspected was the permanent state of his visage.  
"Hey." Amy approached him. "Are you Sideswipe?"  
The silver bot pulled a plasma pistol from subspace, and had it in Amy's face before she could raise her hands in surrender. He narrowed his red optics at her, and looked her up and down.  
"Yeah, you're Sideswipe." Amy ducked under his pistol. He turned, and aimed it at the back of her head.  
"No allowance - Megatron's orders."  
Amy snorted. "You want 'im fixed or not? You're not getting any answers out of him half dead."  
Sideswipe narrowed his optics to slits. "What are you talking about?"  
Amy looked at Sideswipe full-on. "I can heal him faster than The Doctor can repair him."  
Sideswipe's optics grew wide in a what are you talking about? way.  
Amy placed her hand on the locked door, and entered without so much as setting off an alarm.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

OMG! What's behind door #1?

And to anyone who might be like - "this is nothing like Shattered Glass". Sorry -shrug-.


	12. Shattered Glass Chapter 7

Merry Christmas!

A present for you! A new chapter! Yay!

-x-x-x-x-

Black Bumblebee lay on the table, hooked up to some kind of machine. Shockwave held the control pad, and pressed a sequence of keys.  
Bumblebee convulsed left, a high-pitched metallic keen echoing from his vocal processors.  
"Anything?" Megatron asked.  
Shockwave sighed. "It's information extracting, it's going to take time, Megatron." He input a few more stokes.  
Bumblebee's scream grew louder, and his back arched up as far as the restraints would allow.  
Amy stared in horror. There was no other description for it. Though his armor was black, all she could visualize was Bumblebee - her Bumblebee - laying on that table screaming, and cursing in Cybertron.  
Tarantulus hung form the ceiling in robot form, adjusting the voltage of the machine. He happened to glance at the door, to ensure the locks held, and did a double take when he realized he saw Amy standing there in horror.  
Amy stared, optics locked on the black mech on the table.  
Shockwave gave a resigned sigh. "His systems won't take much more of this. I'd get more done if someone hadn't shot him up before bringing him in."  
"Let me worry about Sideswipe." Megatron sighed as if a screaming bot on the med table was the most normal thing in the world. He turned, and started to see Blazer in the doorway. "You." He glanced at the table. "You're Blazer, aren't you?" He held out an arm. "Come out, you don't need to see this."  
Amy held up a hand with a blue ball forming in it. The next few seconds were a blur as she incapacitated Shockwave and The Doctor. Tarantulus scurried away, lessening his role as a threat.  
"Bumblebee!" Amy crouched over the black mech on the table, holding his head. "Bumblebee, speak to me!" She screamed. Bumblebee! She called out, though not with her voice.  
Black Bumblebee's red optics flicked online, and he stared at her. For a moment he said nothing. He jerked his arm, but it was fastened tight.  
"Don't, I've got you." Amy relaxed her legs so she straddled his middle. She smiled, and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his mouthplate.  
Bumblebee stared at her with confused, enraged red optics. "Release me." He said.  
Amy sat back. "I want to help you, I do."  
"Then get me out of here." Bumblebee narrowed his optics at her. "Break my bonds now, femme, or your death will be at the hands of Ratchet, and not my own!"  
Amy stared at him. "What?" She pointed at where Shockwave lay crackling, and unconscious on the floor. "They were trying to kill you. I want to help you, and that's the thanks I get?"  
Bumblebee guffawed. "Thanks? You want me to thank you? You'll be lucky if you get off with a spark-raping for what you Decepticons have done to me!"  
Amy clenched her hands against his chest. The femme felt the last of her patience and submission ebbing. "Spark rape?" She narrowed her optics. "You don't know what rape is, mech." She pushed herself backward along Bumblebee's body until she could plainly see his interface hatch, and pushed her fingers into the latch, breaking it.  
Bumblebee let out a grunt, and pulled on his bonds.  
Amy couldn't believe what she was doing as she ripped open the hatch, and flung it aside. "What the-?" She stared at Bumblebee's interface, which was a silicone-coated tension chord that sprung up as soon as the latch was removed from the pelvic plates. Amy stared at it a moment. No. Way, she thought.  
"What's the matter, femme?" Bumblebee smiled sardonically. "Too much spike for you?"  
Amy looked up at Bumblebee's face. "Might be." She said wearily then dipped down, and licked the tip of the rounded spike.  
Bumblebee's hips shifted slightly, about all the movement he could muster. He grunted with frustration, and jerked his arms, but the bonds held tight.  
Amy licked the tip again then sank her mouth down over the spike. This is weird, she thought. You're sucking his robot dick, and convincing yourself you're raping him. She scolded herself. He's enjoying this. He just wishes he could turn this on you.  
Bumblebee let off a string of angry curses in Cybertron. "Release me now, femme!"  
"No." Amy choked as the spike grew wider, and longer inside her mouth, as if it were reaching out to her throat. She pulled her mouth from him, and coughed a little.  
Bumblebee's laugh was sadistic, as Amy had ever heard. "Surprise."  
Amy wiped her mouthplate, and glared at the mech. She crawled up his body, and stared down at his face. His optics look weird, she thought, Maybe his face...  
Bumblebee wiggled his hips back and forth, his spike slapping against Amy's inner thighs. "You're going to regret this, femme. When I'm free, I'm going to frag you, slag you, and rape you."  
"Oh shut up." Amy reached between hers and Bumblebee's bodies, and unlatched her pelvic plates. Now, here's seeing if this works with me. She sat up on her knees, and positioned herself. She directed his spike into her, and let is slide its way in as she sank down over him. "Oh my - ! Bumblebee." She moaned.  
His hips jerked up, sending little shocks of pleasure through Amy's body. They bucked over and over, sending shallow thrusts into Amy. A strained grunt escaped Bumblebee's vocal processors. "Ahh, release me!" Bumblebee demanded.  
"No." Amy ground her hips back and forth over the spike, still unable to believe this was happening. "You'll just kill us all."  
"You stupid femme!" Bumblebee snapped. "My spike is buried in your valve, killing you would be pointless! Besides," He craned his neck. "You attacked your own kind." One red optic squinted. "You deserve a reward for such treachery."  
"I couldn't watch them kill you." Amy's vents panted.  
"Release me, and help me live then." Bumblebee's hips bucked harder. "I can't get any release this way."  
"I'm raping you, remember?" Amy frowned.  
"Like slag you are. Release me, and I'll spare you if you spark me!" Bumblebee's engine revved, and his fans kicked in.  
"I dunno, having you strapped down is really getting me hot." Amy moved her hips in a more up and down motion.  
"Oh, frag, femme, at least release my mask so I can glossa you properly." Bumblebee grumbled in frustration.  
Amy arched an optic ridge, and stopped moving.  
"Don't stop! Just release the seal they put on my mask!" Bumblebee demanded.  
"Your...mask?" Amy leaned forward toward his face. "Where's the release?"  
"On the side. The other side!" Bumblebee growled in frustration.  
Amy pressed on both sides of the mask for good measure. The round piece in the middle turned, and separated, sliding back into either side of Bumblebee's black helm. She gawked for a moment at his mouth with sharp denta.  
"Now, give me your face." Bumblebee demanded.  
Amy shook her head slowly. "Not with those denta." She moved her hips some more, resuming her pace.  
Bumblebee clenched his sharp denta, and hiss against a moan that wanted to come out.  
"Tell me what you're feeling." Amy said, kissing his chin. "And I might free one of your arms."  
Bumblebee considered her, licked his lips with his glossa then said. "I don't talk about my feelings, femme."  
"Okay." Amy shrugged. "Then I guess this is pointless." She stopped moving, and pulled her body up. She held her valve up just above his standing spike.  
"Sadist!" Bumblebee growled. "This is getting old, fast."  
Amy shrugged again. "I could stay here all day, watching you squirm and curse at me." She faked a yawn. This was actually kinda fun. Bumblebee back home would never have gone for this, or played along, she thought.  
"I want you, alright?" Bumblebee growled. "I've never had a valve as hot as yours before! Prime keeps all the good femmes for himself, and leaves us with old, outdated models who barely manage to overload us with their glossas!"  
Amy started. "Wow, sucks for you." She leaned forward without touching Bumblebee's spike, and let her mouth hover over his. "So what do you want?"  
"I want you, femme, how hard is that?" Bumblebee snapped.  
Amy looked at the mech's twitching spike. "Looks pretty hard to me."  
Bumblebee clenched his denta at her, and growled. "What do you want? Information?"  
Amy started. "Would you actually tell me the truth?"  
Bumblebee lifted his head up, and open his mouth. Amy moved back. Bumblebee let his head fall with a frustrated moan. "I'll tell you anything at this point. Just overload me before I backfire!"  
Amy leaned her head down a bit, and Bumblebee's head rose up, and snatched her lips. his glossa pushed into her mouth, and bullied hers. Oral lubricant slipped out as their kiss broke momentarily. Amy reached up, and picked at the bonds holding his right arm. "How do you break these anyway?"  
Before Bumblebee could answer, Amy implemented a blue ball of energy without thinking, and the bonds shattered. Bumblebee grabbed Amy's head, and pulled it down hard against his mouth, and ravaged her mouth with his glossa and lips. He jerked his other arm, and made a insistent growl into Amy's mouth. Bumblebee wrenched his mouth away from the femme, cooling fans working a bit harder, vents panting as he demanded of her. "My other arm. Release it."  
"Why should I?" Amy frowned.  
Bumblebee sat up until the bonds on his left arm kept him from sitting up any more. "Because I said so."  
"Tou-chy." Amy wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. She moved to the side, breaking the kiss, and picked at the bonds.  
Bumblebee bit down on the chords of Amy's neck hard.  
"OW!" Amy turned, and slapped Bumblebee hard across the face.  
Bumblebee slowly turned his head back to Amy, and tried to sit up, but the bonds on his arm, and legs kept him down. "You're going to regret that."  
Amy rubbed the side of her neck. "Ow. I don't do biting, not that hard anyway." She pulled her hands away to find slight smears of fluids. "You broke something! Idiot!"  
"Hit me again." Bumblebee growled.  
Amy started. "Say what?" She shook her head as it started to throb.  
"Hit. Me. Again." Bumblebee jerked his bonded arm. "Now." his red optics drew heavy-lidded, and he leaned back on his elbow, wrist still bound to the berth.  
Amy squinted her optics, and raised her hand. "I can't." She shook her head. "I - you bit me! I slapped you to make you stop!"  
Bumblebee grunted then sat up, and bit Amy's arm as hard if not harder than he'd bitten her on the neck.  
Amy's hand cracked across his face, and Bumblebee cried out in pleasure.  
"Woah." Amy blinked. "Well, this changes everything." She thought aloud. Amy inspected the edge of the berth while Bumblebee lay momentarily docile, panting, and muttering in Cybertron with a sadistically satisfied smile on his face. "Green button, blue button?" She hesitated. "Both." And pressed both buttons she'd found on a pad.  
A hermetic hiss warned Amy that Bumblebee's bonds were now broken. She sat up, fully expecting him to grab her or something.  
The black mech stretched his arms out then folded them under his head, and bent his legs up. "Well?" He asked as Amy stared at him.  
Amy pushed herself up, still poised above his erection-of-sorts. "Well what?"  
"I thought you were spark raping me." Bumblebee teased with a slight lift of his optic ridges.  
Amy frowned at him. "I just let you go. Shouldn't you be shooting me, or running or something?"  
Bumblebee guffawed. "How do you think I ended up here in the first place, femme?"  
"Okay, stop calling me that! My name is Ay-I mean, Blazer! My name is - I mean..." She rubbed her head. "Say Amy."  
"Why?" Bumblebee arched an optic ridge.  
"Just say it." Amy glowered.  
Bumblebee let out a martyred sigh. "Amy."  
Amy frowned. "Like you mean it."  
Bumblebee arched his optic ridge again. What a workout it was getting.  
Amy glared, raised a hand, and let it crack across Bumblebee's face. "Say it!"  
"oh, slag yes!" Bumblebee almost laughed. His bucked his hips, and his tip brushed her entrance.  
Amy slapped Bumblebee again. "Say it!"  
"Amy!" He moaned. "Amy, frag yes, Amy!" He shouted out.  
Amy sighed. It wasn't the same. I want my Bumblebee, she thought. What the hell am I doing, playing dominatrix to this masochistic black clone?  
Bumblebee sat up, and licked the wounded part of Amy's neck, and squeezed her hips. "Mmm, please," He tried to push her hips down, but Amy resisted.  
"Please what?" Amy asked, her hand tingling and throbbing. "My hand is getting tired."  
Bumblebee hugged his arms around her waist. "I need release."  
Amy sighed. This Bumblebee was actually kind of pathetic once you found his ticks. She sank her body down, and remember why she had started doing this in the first place.  
Bumblebee held her hips, and thrust hard into her, moaning and grunting. his chest plates opened, and his pulsing red spark heated Amy's chest plates.  
Amy hesitated, but let her spark join his, and reveled in the heat and light they gave off. "Oh fah - hah! Bumblebee!" She moaned as she teetered on the edge of overload. With his chord pounding into her, and his spark about to overlaod her, Amy let a tear escape her optics. it was just the same - the intense heat, the physical sensation - it was all the same, it was just like her Bumblebee.  
She came down off of her overload high still nestled in Bumblebee's lap. The black mech leaned his mouth into her neck, and rest it there. "You're incredible." Amy moaned, rocking on his spike a little.  
"What the slag are you?" Bumblebee panted, arms holding Amy tight around her middle.  
Amy smirked at him. "Idiot. I'm your sparkmate."  
On the floor, Shockwave groaned. Slowly, the Decepticon scientist sat up, and raised a blaster on his arm toward Amy and Bumblebee. "Blazer...you freed him?" He asked, holding his head, and squinting.  
Bumblebee licked the fluids from Amy's neck. "Needs a patch." He muttered.  
Amy rolled her green optics at Shockwave. "I tamed the wild beast." Bumblebee squeezed her rear plates. "Hey!" she hissed.  
Bumblebee smirked.  
"He'll be more cooperative now." Amy rubbed the grazed plating where she had slapped Bumblebee over and over.  
Shockwave turned his weapon on Bumblebee. "You'll forgive me if I don't believe you." The white and teal mech narrowed his optic at Amy. "You have a lot of - what are you doing?"  
Amy looked down where hers and Bumblebee's bodies were still joined. "Oh. Yeah. How else was I suppose to get him to do what I want?"  
Shockwave sighed, and rolled his blue optic skyward. "Oh brilliant. This is all we need."  
"Better than senseless torture and murder - like something Autobots would do." Amy said.  
Shockwave made a tch noise.  
Megatron woke up a few minutes later, by then Amy and Bumblebee had righted themselves, and The Doctor was patching up the femme's neck while shrieking indignantly about her slapping him aside.  
"Oh, do stop griping, Doctor. If Blazer wanted to really harm us, I'm sure she could have." Shockwave said, though didn't sound convinced himself.

"This room is appalling." Said black Bumblebee, looking around the small quarters. "I've seen better dungeons."  
Amy tried to pretend like he wasn't bothering her with his nonsense. "It's just a room." she shrugged. "I had to argue with Megatron to keep you out of the stockade, so be grateful."  
Bumblebee snorted. "Grateful? Not a word I like the taste of."  
Amy shook her head as activated the lights, and gasped. "Oh." She frowned slightly at the room. "You're right. This is appalling."  
The ceiling and walls were gray, there was a gray couch-looking piece of furniture with blue gel pads on it to support whoever sat down, and a recharge berth.  
"Well," Bumblebee hopped up onto the berth. "At least we can get close." he winked.  
Amy shook her head. "No, we won't. I'd sooner go stay with Soundwave than sleep in the same room as you."  
Bumblebee frowned. "Five microns ago you couldn't wait to have me, now you want to get away from me?" He stared at Amy for a moment then smirked, and hopped off the berth.  
"Where are you going?" Amy asked.  
Bumblebee shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'll go back to Prime, and tell him I have a very interesting bargaining chip now."  
Amy folded her arms. "Really? You're leaving. Megatron said if you try to leave, he won't hesitate to destroy you."  
Bumblebee guffawed. "Spare me the Decepticon goody-goody act. I've been handed to Megatron on the proverbial silver platter, and he still doesn't know what to do with me."  
Amy shrugged. "Maybe he's giving you a chance to prove yourself."  
"Oh?" Bumblebee stepped up to Amy, and loomed over her. "And what exactly am I suppose to be proving, femme?"  
Amy let her arms fall, and twiddled her fingers. "I don't know. Maybe," She vaguely gestured to Bumblebee with a hand. "That you're actually a nice bot."  
Bumblebee slammed Amy into the back of the couch, and dug his pointed digits into her shoulders. "Let's get one thing straight here! I'm an Autobot! I live to destroy pathetic mewling cowards like you! I am not nice, and I'm not hanging around here to get slagged!"  
Completely unfazed by the black mech's outburst, Amy shrugged. "So...kill me." She said.  
Bumblebee released the red-orange femme, and stared at her then extended his plasma cannon arm, and held it before Amy's face. The end whirred orange as his weapon powered up, building in heat and energy.  
Amy watched him, daring him to fire. Her face burned, but she didn't move or even flinch. "You're hesitating."  
"No I'm not!" Bumblebee shouted.  
Someone knocked.  
Bumblebee lowered his cannon, and both turned to look at who was intruding.  
"Go away!" Bumblebee growled.  
"Shh." Amy placed a hand on Bumblebee's black chest. The mech glared at her. Amy walked to the door, and it slid open. "Oh. Soundwave."  
Soundwave saluted. "How's it goin', Blazer?" He leaned to the right, and looked around the femme. "Heya Bumblebee, lookin' outta place, doncha think?"  
"Frag off, Sir Soundwave!" Bumblebee snapped. He hopped over the back of the couch, stretched out, and pretended to ignore Soundwave.  
Soundwave nodded. "Strange befellows, an' all that, am I right?"  
Amy sighed. "Yeah, sure." She glanced at the black feet propped on the nearest arm of the couch, frowned then looked back at Sir Soundwave. "So, what brings you here? How are the minicons?"  
"Good. Ravage said she can't get you on her blog, and Frenzy's wonderin' if you're comin' back for a round o' fetch." Soundwave smiled, or Amy suspected he would be if it hadn't been for his face mask.  
Amy let a long sigh out of her vents. "I wish," She glanced in the black mech's general direction. She could feel loathing laced with annoyance and something comforting emanating through her spark-link with Bumblebee.  
Don't count on it, femme. I'm not the comforting type. Bumblebee grumbled.  
Amy turned on him. I take it back! You're absolutely nothing like my Bubmblebee! You're nothing but a shadow of him! Everything he's not! I hate it!  
Shadow, huh? Black Bumblebee smirked into Amy's head.  
Yes, Shadow. Amy turned back to Sir Soundwave, vaguely aware of something he may or may not have just said. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"  
Soundwave's blue optics glanced at the black mech lounging on the couch then at the red-orange femme. "Er…nothin'. Drop by an' say hi, okay?" He smiled, and walked down the hall away from the room.  
The door closed, and Amy whirled on the black mech lounging on the couch. "Oh great! He was almost my friend, and now he's afraid to come in here because of you!" Amy kicked the mech's feet onto the floor.  
"Watch it, Amy!" Bumblebee growled.  
Amy's green optics grew wide with fury. "Don't you ever call me that! Only he gets to call me that! You're not him!" She wished she had something to throw at the black mech、but the room had a significant lack of throwable devices.  
"Serves you right for disrespecting me." Black Bumblebee sat up, and narrowed his red optics at the femme. "You wouldn't want to suffer the consequences of throwing an object at me, femme." His sardonic smirk, and satisfied arrogance was more than enough to throw Amy over the edge.  
Without thinking about Shadow Bumblebee's previous masochism, she pulled back her right arm, fist clenched, and let it contact as hard as she could force it against the right side of the asinine Autobot's faceplate.  
Shadow Bumblebee fell backward unceremoniously over the edge of the couch. One leg caught on the edge of the blue gel cushion, the rest of him lay on the floor, cursing loudly in Cybertronian.  
"You're such an asshat!" Amy shouted. "My name is not femme, so stop calling me that! If you have to," She shuddered, but she couldn't make herself tell him her adopted name. "Call me Amy." The red-orange femmes shook her hand, and frowned. "ow."  
"You ignorant, disrespectful parasite! How dare you strike me!"  
Amy's optic ridges lifted. He's mad? She looked him up and down. Not that I wanted to turn him on with that, but –geezuz.  
You're going to pay dearly for that, Amy. Bumblebee's voice menaced Amy's thoughts as he stared at her from his unrefined position on the floor.  
Amy goggled, not at the black mech himself, but the uncharacteristic way her spark pulsed, wanting his spark and his spike. She shook her head. Why does that turn me on? She took a cautious step away from Shadow.  
He sat up slightly, his one leg still propped on the cushion. Because, Amy could feel the throb of his spark as his thoughts invaded her mind. Despite how much I loathe the mere thought of you, or how much you want to run away from me out of disgust for what I represent, we want each other.  
No, Amy shook her head slowly. "We need each other." She said softly. "I've been running from it – from him –" She turned her gaze to the floor.  
Shadow scoffed. "I don't care about your little angsting spark, Amy," He said her name as if it were poison. "All I care about is fragging your valve, and getting a decent overload, so you-!" Before he could continue, Amy knocked him back with a small concussion blast she didn't know she could produce.  
Shadow fell backward into stasis.  
Amy hesitated, feeling his brief, lingering shock and pain before his feelings stopped, and he lay motionless. He's fine, she reassured herself. He's just unconscious, or something. She turned, and the door opened. Stop hesitating, he's fine. Amy glanced back at the unconscious bot. "Damn." She sighed.  
Amy dragged Shadow to the recharge berth, and managed to lift him onto it. She removed a section of wall plating, and searched the wiring. She felt through it, and let Vector Sigma guide her as she gauged what each bundle fed into. "Hmm?" Amy hummed at one bundle, and arched an optic ridge then shook her head. "Wheeljack," She muttered then remembered where she was. "Or, whoever." She ripped out the wiring, and approached the berth. She separated the wires from their casings, and twined it around each of shadow Bumblebee's wrists, and ankles. Just as she was finishing, she felt incredulous rage filling the periphery of her emotions.  
Amy looked at the black mech, and sighed. "Oh. You're awake." She frowned at his glaring red optics.  
Shadow didn't speak, either into Amy's mind, or verbally, which the femme didn't mind in the least.  
"Now, you listen up. I'm leaving." She gave each of his binds a tug then leaned over him with a smile. "You are going to stay here, and be good."  
Shadow's rage upped a notch, though he continued to simply stare, and not outwardly react.  
"I can feel that you're pissed, although my tying you up is really turning you on, but I'm not in the mood for your masochistic, sadistic, evil Bumblebee b.s. right now." Amy kissed his forehead. "Good bye." She turned, and made it to the door before something stopped her. It was enough to make her reconsider keeping him bound up, and out of her way.  
Lonliness. Coming from shadow Bumblebee. It was slight, and brief, but as strong an emotion as Amy ever felt from anyone.  
Amy turned, and looked at the black mech, who was lying with his optic casings shut. No, she shook her head, and left the room. The farther she got from the room, the roar of defeat and abandon filled her mind like a torrent. It was so much sincere feeling, no underhanded, underlying control looming behind the feeling of unequivocal aloneness.  
Oh god, Amy collapsed onto her knees. Is this how he feels? Is this how Bumblebee reacted when I was lost inside Unicron? Coolant tears slipped down the sides of her face. I'm on a few meters away from that room, and this feeling is… She shook her head vigorously back and forth.  
A hand gently grasped Amy's shoulder, and a body crouched next to her. "Hey," Said Starscream. "Did that slagger hurt you? Blazer?"  
"No." Amy sobbed.  
"Blazer," Starscream's touch was foreign, but gentle as he turned her to face him. "Tell me what that scrapheap did to you."  
"I'm sorry." Amy stood up, pushing away from the seeker. She turned without another thought to the Decepticon flier as she ran back to the room, and through the door.  
Black Bumblebee jerked at his left hand, his right already freed. "You stupid femme, you're going to pay for leaving-!"  
"Shut up." Amy said before she wrapped her arms around his black shoulders, and kissed him. His sharp denta scraped her glossa as it pushed against his mouth. Don't bite me. She thought at him.  
You like it. His voice growled in her head just as he freed his left hand, and pulled the red-orange femme onto his lap. Forcing her plating and his open, he plunged her down over his spike, and opened his chest plating.  
Their sparks pushed together, and Amy's mind ceased to be simply her thoughts, and occasionally his, but a mess of emotions of both bots. Shadow's rage, reluctant affection, and lusting spark mixed with Amy's need, and filled the aching loneliness inside her. Though Shadow was less than friendly on the outside, on the inside he was exactly what Amy had wanted from the moment she was ripped away from her reality. Despite his being technically evil, his spark radiated Bumblebee, her Bumblebee, and feeling him this close to her, so intimately locked physically, mentally, emotionally, brought relieved coolant tears to her optics as she moaned rapturously; overtaken by her overload.  
Amy came down off her spark high, the snow in her vision cleared, and she ran a self-diagnostic. Everything A-OK. The red-range femme slowly became aware of the body beneath her, and the hand holding her hips sideways on his lap. Shadow's vents panted lukewarm air gently out as his systems cooled. Amy felt his sated satisfaction, but his lust for her was quickly returning.  
"I can't – although I'd love to." Amy pushed herself up from Shadow's chest. All kind of strange, yet erotic images filled her mind. Amy blinked. "Is that even anatomically possible?"  
Shadow smirked. His hand squeezed her aft plating, and he pulled her tighter against his side.  
"Really? Is that all it takes, seriously? I spark you, and you're docile and happy for what – another couple of megacycles?" Amy lifted her chin, and looked up at Shadow's face. His optics turned down to her then his chin tilted down, and he stared back at her with lazy acknowledgment.  
Amy reached into Shadow's mind with her curious mental tendrils, and found a wisp of affection brush her.  
Shadow pushed Amy out of his mind like shoving someone out of a gate, and slamming it in their face with a resounding, emotional 'get out'.  
Amy bristled, and sat up. She narrowed one eye at the black mech. "What was that for? You don't see – er feel – me shutting out, do you?"  
"If you keep letting me see inside your head, I may exploit and expose you for what you really are, Amy, or should I call you Prime?" Shadow narrowed his optics slightly.  
Amy didn't have to be in Shadow's mind to know he was accusing her of something. The way he had said Prime was accusation enough. "And?" She watched him with as much of a placid face as she could.  
Shadow moved his right arm, and tucked it under his head. "Is Prime coy on purpose, or are you actually unfamiliar to him?"  
Amy shifted to better look at Shadow without craning her neck joint uncomfortably. "I'm not from around here, but by the way you're subtly threatening me, I expect you already know that."  
"Maybe I do."  
"Maybe."  
Amy and Shadow watched each other. Then a small bit, like opening a door a crack, seeped through to Amy's mind. It was almost unreadable, the emotion, the whole feeling Shadow was letting slip to her.  
Then Amy understood, and a slow smile spread across her face. "You'd miss me."  
Shadow turned his head away, denial all over his face.  
"Faker. Admit it – you don't want Prime to have me because one, you don't want to share your new toy, and two, you'd miss me." Amy scooted higher, and leaned over Shadow's face. "You like me, don't you?"  
Shadow bristled. "Don't be so proud of yourself. You're a good frag, that's all." He grumbled, and pushed Amy out of his mind, just a testament to his denial, and typical of a macho mech.  
"Alright, I won't make you say it." Amy leaned down, and nibbled a chord in Shadow's neck. The mech groaned as Amy sat up. "Yet." She winked at him.


	13. Shattered Glass Chapter 8

Merry Christmas!

What Ho? ANOTHER chapter! YAAY!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Alright, bots! We're drilling down to the lab! We need new piping in place, and fortify this area for the doc's next big boom!" Springer bellowed over the sound of Twintist's alt mode drilling behind him.  
"I ain't hangin' around until 'Jack's machine blows!" Topspin snapped.  
"Get yer head outta yer aft!" Kup strolled up between the bots standing around. He looked at each of them, grinding his teeth on the metal Cy-Gar in his mouth. His gaze settled on Meister, and he snarled. "You still willin' t' get dirty, kid?"  
"Y'eh." Meister grinned.

Down below, in Wheeljack's lab, Bumblebee sighed against the growing processor ache brought on by the drilling and hammering at both ends of the shaft. He glared with blue optics at the shaft then turned to continue his work at a different console away from the construction.  
Wheeljack dropped down on a zip chord, retrieved a laser cutter then started back up. Bumblebee grabbed the scientist by one of the fins on the side of his head.  
"Wheeljack, does this construction really have to go on right this micron?" Bumblebee asked.  
Wheeljack looked thoughtful, his fins blinked a couple of times, but he said nothing as Bumblebee released him to go about his business.  
"Bumblebee!" Bebop called from the upper catwalk. Blaster stood with his back to the room, bent over a console muttering in distress. "Bumblebee, we have a problem up here!"  
"What problem!" Wheeljack jumped up to where the pair stood.  
Bumblebee sighed. Don't know why everyone thinks I know what to do with this machine.  
Because you're brilliant. Said a soft voice.  
Bumblebee gasped, and looked around. Behind him stood an almost transparent figure of a red-orange femme. She smiled, and blinked her green optics at him as she slowly strode forward.  
Amy. If he'd had a heart, it would have skipped a beat. Amy, where are you? Nevermind, I'm bringing you home.  
Shh. She placed a hand to her mouthplate, and without moving her lips, she replied. Don't worry so much. She reached out, grasped his hand, and placed it on her chest plate. I have some things to take care of here. She smiled.  
Bumblebee looked confused. He stared at his hand, and the femme's chestplate for a time. I don't understand.  
Just know that I love you. No matter what happens, I love you.  
"But…" Bumblebee said aloud.  
"But what, Bumblebee?" Perceptor asked.  
"Huh?" Bumblebee started, and looked around. The lab still bustled with bots at work. He looked at the shorter bot scientist. "Sorry, what was that, Perceptor?"  
Perceptor blinked blue optics at the yellow mech.  
Bumblebee turned, and headed for the nearest open console. He sat down, and got to work on the cooling system calibrations, though he couldn't keep his mind off of the vision of Amy. Her chestplates seemed significant, but what could her chest cavitiy possibly have to do with anything? All the Autobot chest cavity held was the spark. He stared blankly at the screen. The spark. A realization dawned on him. We…on the Archemdes…He leaned his elbows on the console, and moaned. Oh, my Amy.

-x-x-x-x-

Amy looked around the space she stood in. "Oh." She slumped. "I know this place." It looked like her home on Earth, but was, in fact, an illusion made up by Vector sigma whenever it wanted to talk to her about something.  
"Hi." Said a man behind Amy.  
The red-haired woman turned, and grinned. "Bumblebee!" She threw herself on the blonde, and hugged him tightly.  
"Shh, come on," he patted her back. "You know better than that."  
Amy shook her head. "No, you're Bumblebee, I know it." She cried.  
"Stop that. I know you're stronger than this." He pushed her away, and held her at arms' length. "I chose this form so we could talk."  
Amy frowned. "I don't like taking with you, you always have bad things to say to me."  
The fake bumblebee looked shocked. "Me? When have I ever told you something bad?"  
Amy ticked off on her fingers as she replied. "There was Tarantulus transplanting me into a robot body, Twilight going insane, Unicron eating my boyfriend –"  
"Technically I told your son, not you." Bumblebee said.  
"Yeah, and thanks for that – telling a toddler his daddy's gonna die." Amy threw up her arms. "But you're just proving my point anyway. Not once have you EVER told me good news."  
Vector Sigma Bumblebee held up one finger. "There was once when I showed you Jazz lived through Unicron torturing him."  
"Oh yeah, and then I was transported out of my home universe, here. Thanks for that, too." Amy grinned sarcastically. "I'm having a blast, by the way. Not only am I in a world where Decepticon wanna be BFFs with me, but the evil black Bumblebee is now spark-linked to me, and can hear my thoughts. He's probably listening in on this conversation right now." She sat down on the couch, and folded her arms.  
"Oh please, give me a little more credit than that." The blonde clenched his fists at his sides. "I can keep your sparkmate out!"  
Amy waved a hand. "Okay, whatever, so what bout of bad news have you brought me tonight?" She picked at her fingernails as she listened.  
"You know what? I don't want to tell now – in fact, we've run out of time. Just know you're about to have a rude awakening, but when you go wondering how it came about, remember me. My face now."  
Amy sighed. "Whatever." She grimaced.  
The blonde pursed his lips. "You know, one of these days you're going to want to pay attention to me, but I'll be off doing more important things – like making sure your daughter doesn't die of uranium poisoning."  
Amy gasped. "What?"  
-x-x-x-

Amy woke up that night in discomfort. Black Bumblebee's systems hummed in recharge. Amy raised a hand to her chest, and it started to burn.  
"Ah." Her vents hissed and she clenched her dentals tightly together. "Oh that's not good. Hey." She reached out, and smacked Shadow lazily across the arm. "HEY!" She shouted.  
Bumblebee was slowly to respond. He shifted, and popped a few bits back into place as he flexed his back, and slowly turned over. "What could possibly be so important that you've woken me from a dead recharge."  
"If only," Amy muttered then swung her legs off the side of the berth. "There's something wrong."  
Bumblebee sat up as Amy slid off the berth. "So what'm I supposed to do about that?" He watched her with red optics for a moment then lay back down. "Don't wake me again."  
"Ohhh migawd!" She gasped, her chest flaring not so much painfully, but something I had trouble describing. As another wave of the sensation hit me, it occurred to me what was happening. I had felt it before – when I had Bebop. "Crap! I gotta get to the infirmary!" Amy struggled to get up, but her body was spending all of its energon trying to help her spark do what it had to do. "Ah! Put me down!"  
Bumblebee lifted Amy up, and walked quickly out the door. "I don't care what's wrong with you, but you're making a racket, and I can't recharge properly if you don't shut your vocal processors." He grumbled groggily as he carried her down the corridor.  
Amy was about to berate him for berating a pregnant lady, but another wave of the sensation overcame her. "Hurry!" Was all she could exclaim.

"Medic!" Bumblebee shouted as he stormed the infirmary, and dropped Amy onto the closest berth.  
The Doctor crawled out of his hole in the wall, and immediately started ranting and raving at Bumblebee. "Do ye knew what time it be? Feh. I'm too old forr -!" He stopped mid rant, and stared at Amy then crawled down, and started inspecting her pulsating chest plates. He tapped the side of his head, and trilled something before climbing up the wall. "Need parrrts!" He threw this and that out of several drawers that he opened, and hit Bumblebee a few times with a soft chuckle. As quickly as he began working, Shockwave arrived. "I'm here, who needs repairing? Oh. Blazer?" He stared with his single blue optic for a moment then hurried to help The Doctor. "What's happening, Doctor?"  
"She's an ancient." Said the Doctor hurriedly.  
The previously benign sensation turned into a force that would have surely pulled Amy limb from limb. "Nnnyaaaaaaa!" She screamed, glowing blue.  
The scatter of parts across the floor all glowed blue, and pulled together, melting into a little liquid metal body no comparatively bigger to Amy than an infant would be to a human woman.  
Then a spark pulled out of Amy's chest – just a wee thing – with no particular direction.  
Amy pointed weakly to the body. "There. Put it…there." She fainted from exhaustion.  
The little spark drew near to Amy's face. Bumblebee took a step toward the ball of light. It spun around Bumblebee's black body then dropped into the little liquid metal body.  
The Doctor, Shockwave, and Bumblebee all stared as the body glowed, and formed into a more substantial shape.  
The little robot now sitting on the floor opened its optic casing to reveal, big curious orange optics. It looked around, and slowly raised its hands. It grinned, and wiggled its fingers, giggled, and kicked its little legs as it rolled onto it back, and grabbed one of its feet. It examined the ped before shoving it into its mouth; slurping and gurgling happy.  
Amy's optics activated abruptly, and her vents gasped. She looked around, and relaxed when she saw Bumblebee staring at something on the ground with wide red optics.  
The little bot rolled back and forth, slobbering on its foot, and cooing happily.  
Amy turned onto her side, and smiled at the little thing. "Hi there little one." She whispered.  
The little bot released its foot, and reached out it arms toward Amy, giggling and squirming.  
"Hi." Amy smiled. "My little girl."  
The little bot squealed, and reached out.  
"Shadow, will you get her?" Amy asked.  
"Urrr." Bumblebee took a step away from the robot infant.  
Shockwave approached the little form, and scooped it up in one hand. "Well you won't do at all, will you?" He asked softly. "So small, you can't even get around on those stubby little legs, can you?"  
Amy snorted. "She's a baby."  
Shockwave looked again at the infant, and arched his only optic ridge. "Baby?"

-x-x-x-x-

The Autobot base was quiet, and dark as usual. Ironhide lumbered into Prime's throne room, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head. "Lord Prime." His voice bellowed.  
Prime sat on his throne, head leaning on his fist. "Why have you disturbed me? Has Bumblebee reported back yet?"  
"No, my lord." Ironhide held out a report datapad. Prime snatched it. "Blaster intercepted an intercom signal between the Decepticons, my lord."  
Prime's red optics scanned the datapad, and one optic ridge arched. It took a lot to surprise the prime, but the information intercepted by Blaster would surprise anyone tonight.  
"What is it?" Prime asked.  
"They call it a spark-ling, sir. The femme you seek seems able to bear a spark, and birth a hatchling transformer from inside her own body." Ironhide said.  
Prime scanned the datapad once more, his subtle arch of one optic ridge an indication of serious surprise. "Very well."  
"My lord?" Ironhide inquired.  
"Send a narrow beam transmission piggy-backed on the Decpeticons intercom. Signals. See that it's found. Send in Jazz and Warpath – retrieve Bumblebee and the femme immediately."  
Ironhide nodded. "As you command, lord Prime."  
"Alive." Optimus Prime added with a quirk of his optic ridges.  
Ironhide nodded slowly.

Soundwave came to the infirmary with Ravage and Frenzy to visit Amy, and see if the strange rumors of the new arrival were true.  
"By all the sparks of the matrix." Soundwave stared at the little femme rolling around on the berth, cooing, and trying to both hold her feet, and reach for the femme sitting on the edge of the berth while Shockwave checked her out.  
"Well, by all standards, you're in top functioning condition, though personally, I think Blazer should stay in the infirmary for a bit longer." Shockwave folded his arms as Amy turned, and tickled the baby femme rolling around on the berth.  
"Of course I'm fine." Amy cooed at the baby. "Yes I am! Yes I am!" she picked up the sparkling, and made little noises into her belly, making the infant robot squirm, and giggle.  
"It's not very intelligent." Bumblebee frowned at the little thing sucking on its own hand, and gurgling happily. "Can't you do something about it, Shockwave?"  
Shovkwave rolled his single blue optic. "Don't see why I should do you any favors, Autobot."  
Bumblebee growled something impolite in Cybertronian.  
That's rude. Amy thought at Bumblebee. Shadow, I don't want you saying things like that around the baby.  
Bumblebee snorted. What's a baby?  
Amy imagined all the itty bitty wires in the mech's neck twisting into tight knots. At first Bumblebee just stood there. Then he suddenly collapsed to his knees, and yelped in pain.  
I don't want you saying rude things in front of Calliope! Amy growled in the black mech's head.  
Fine! What the slag ever! Leggo ah me!  
Amy sighed, smiled, and relaxed. "And don't forget it." She chirped, and started gently tossing the sparkling into the air, and watching her giggle.  
"So, Blazer," Shockwave ignored the black Autobot's discomfort, and if the way his voice softened, it seemed he'd taken some enjoyment out of Shadow Bumblebee's pain. "Have you thought of what you'll designate this little one? Although, how she's come into being still escapes me."  
"Calliope." Amy huggled the baby, ignoring the last bit Shockwave said. "Her name is Calliope because she has the most beautiful voice in seven galaxies."  
Shockwave chuckled. "Precious." He commented with a slight turn-up of his optic indicating a smile. "Absolutely precious."  
Ravage hopped up on her hind legs, and tried to lean about to see the infant closer.  
"Here you go." Amy turned Calliope, and lowered her down until the infant's feet touched the floor.  
Calliope's optics grew wide as she stared in wonder at the white cat bot. Amy let the little one down, and sparkling and cat-bot stared at each other.  
Then Calliope shrieked gleefully, grabbed Ravage's ears, and giggled as she tugged on her, which Ravage didn't seem to mind. Ravage nosed Calliope's middle, and did circles around the sparkling, and laid down with Calliope nestled in a protective cat hug.  
Amy cooed as Calliope almost instantly drifted off to sleep, using Ravage as a pillow.  
Soudwave shook his head at Ravage, and chuckled. "You're gonna spoil 'er, aren't ya, Rav?" He hopped up on the berth to sit next to Amy.  
Amy felt little tendrils of hostility reach out from Shadow Bumblebee, and wrap themselves around the white mech.  
"Hey!" Amy snapped at the black mech.  
Soundwave started. "Who, me?"  
"No." The red-orange femme leaned forward, and gave Shadow mean optics until the mental tendrils retracted.  
"This is boring." Shadow turned on his heel. "I'm going back to sleep mode."  
Shockwave started to stop Shadow, but Amy stopped him. "No, Shockwave, just let him go. He's not gonna hurt anyone, believe me."  
Calliope half yawned, half cooed, and stretched out her little arms with her hands balled into fists.  
Ravage tightened her coil around Calliope, draped her tail across the infant's legs, and leaned her head against Calliope's side. Calliope slid down, laying across Ravage's neck, and absently stuck her little robot thumb in her mouth, and sucked it as she slept.  
Sir Soundwave sighed. "Ah, little 'uns. Haven't seen hatchlings since before the war started." She shook his head. "Always thought I'd have a servo in hatchin' one o' them some stellar cycle."  
"She was not hatched." Shockwave said.  
Soundwave chuckled like he didn't believe the scientist then narrowed his blue optics at him. "Wait, you serious, geek bot?"  
Shockwave nodded. "I saw with my own optic." He pointed to said optic. "That little-sparkling- came out of dear Blazer's spark. Not an energon pod."  
Soundwave slid Amy a curiously skeptical glance. "Out o' your spark?" He looked her up and down then looked at Shockwave. "If Prime hears this."  
Shockwave nodded. "I know.  
Amy looked at Soundwave then Shockwave. "What? What? If Primes hears this, and what?"  
Shockwave sighed. "Not to worry you, or anything, love, but if Prime gets word of your little stunt with wee Calliope there, he'll surely want to take you, and spawn an army for himself."  
Amy laughed. "Yeah, army of babies. Really scary."  
"Once Ratchet and Wheeljack're don't with 'em, they will me." Soundwave said in a low aside.  
Amy did a double take at the white comm. Commander then snorted. "Yeah, like they would…" Soundwave just stared at Amy out the corner of his optics. "But they're sparklings…" She looked at Shockwave. "Right? Not even Prime would tell them to do something so horrible!"  
Shockwave sighed reluctantly.  
"Wouldn't be the first time." Said Tarantulus as he crawled in on the ceiling. He paused above Shockwave, hesitation in his many spider form's optics as he watched Amy.  
Amy stood. "Tarantulus," She clasped her hands together in a praying gesture. "I am so so sorry about yesterday. I wasn't thinking straight, and I hope I didn't hurt you. Did I?"  
Tarantulus slid down silently on a thread of glowing blue web, so he was dangling over Shockwave's shoulder. "Er…no, you didn't." He hesitated then pulled something out of his subspace pocket, and moved it up along his legs until he held it out in front of Blazer. "For you, or rather, your new little one."  
It was a little fuzzy brown teddy bear, or little by Autobot standards. Amy didn't ask how Tarantulus came across it, or he made it, just smiled. "Thank you, but can you put it down next to her? I'm sure she'll be so surprised when she wakes up."  
Tarantulus looked at Calliope then slowly descended until he crawled on the floor. Ravage lifted her ears, and watched the spider bot. Tarantulus patted the cat bot's head with one leg as he tucked the bear next to Calliope's chin. Calliope grunted, sending Tarantulus literally climbing the walls – startled by the infant's sudden noise.

In the command hub, Thundercracker lolled against the console, groaning to no bot in particular. "This is a waste of my talents! I would be much more useful fighting Autobots!"  
"We have plenty of scouts out." Starscream sighed as his blue twin.  
"What? Nobody told me! I should be leading them! I -!" Thundercracker's arrogant rant was cut off by the proximity sensors going on high alert.  
"Slag, no!" Starscream punched the intercom. "Heads up, bots! We have a breach in sector seven! All personnel evacuate the area, we have Autobot intruders in sector seven! All personnel evacuate the area. Barricade team to sector seven!" Starscream stood.  
"Where do you think you're going?" Thundercracker shouted.  
Starscream ran for the door. "To find Blazer!"

"Evacuate?' Amy gasped. She hurried down the corridor after Soundwave, Calliope wailing tearfully at the alarms wailing.  
"We're not armed to handle Autobots just now!" Shockwave answered. The Doctor pulled at Shockwave's head, directing him left and right into places Shockwave didn't need to be, hence why he ignored the babbling crab bot.  
"But, isn't anyone gonna fight them off?"  
"The barricade team will!" Soundwave pulled Amy along by the hand, Ravage perched on his shoulder.  
Still confused, Amy let Soundwave pulled her down corridor after corridor until it seemed like they had been half jogging forever.  
"Where are we going?" Amy asked.  
"Oh bugger it, back to the first door you- AA!" Shockwave spun from the force of the blast that sent him falling to the floor with a gaping hole through his chest.  
The Doctor went flying into Soundwave's chest, hit, bounced, and landed on the floor.  
"Doctor!" Amy made to pick him up, but Soundwave tugged her. "No, Soundwave, the Doctor! Shocwave! Shockwaaave!"  
Soundwave shoved Amy into a maintenance closet, and tossed Ravage in after her. "Stay here, cat buddy!" He said then closed the door followed by a disconcerning groan of gears.  
"Did he just lock us in?" Amy gasped.  
Ravage howled at the door.  
"No, wait, stop!" Amy set Calliope in her lap, and reached out, closing Ravage's jaw with both hands. "Don't, Ravage. You're not helping."  
-have to help. Have to help. Wave! Wave! Have to wave!-  
"shh." Amy hugged the cat bot. "I know. I just…I don't know what to do…" She buried her face between Ravage and Calliope.  
Muffled shouts drew nearer to the closet door.  
"Hey, bots." Soundwave said.  
"FIRE!"  
The sound of a few plasma blasts was all it took.  
No! Amy thought.  
The door banged.  
"This door is locked! There might be Decepticons hiding in there!"  
No, no, no, no. Amy turned to look behind her, and spied lots of junk equipment. Ravage, she texted. Get behind that bunch of tubing.  
Ravage dove behind the tubing.  
Amy slid Calliope back into a crooked leaning storage crate. Keep Calliope quiet, Ravage. Stay low, and stay hidden.  
Ravage crawled into the crate with the infant, hidden by tubing and scrap metal.  
Amy turned back to face the door.  
"Get this slagging door open! – nevermind! – what? – we have confirmation, let's go!"  
The voices and footsteps ran off.  
Amy let a waft of air out through her vents. "Are they gone?" She whispered to the door. She was about to turn and retrieve Calliope when the door opened, and silhouette made Amy shriek.  
It reached in, grabbed Amy's arm, and pulled her out. "Are you alright?"  
Amy gasped. "Me-Megatron?" She exclaimed.  
Megatron squinted his optic casings then nodded. "You're the femme. The one who…"  
"I'm so sorry, but we need to get out of here. There are Autobots not far away." Amy leaned to look down the corridor.  
Not master. Said Ravage's text. Not master. Not master. Not master.  
Amy froze. She slowly turned her head to look at Megatron.  
"Where is the sparkling?" Megatron asked.  
"she's safe. Soundwave hid her somewhere." Amy said.  
Megatron narrowed his optics then pulled Amy down the corridor.  
Stay there, Ravage. Amy texted back then closed all her links lest someone pick up on her communications.  
"Megatron! Shouldn't we be fighting off the Autobots? Where are you taking me?" Amy exclaimed.  
"Somewhere safe. You're too valuable to be left alone." Megatron's voice rumbled.  
"What about Soundwave, did you see him?" Amy asked as she barely managed to keep up with Megatron's wide gait. "Can you slow down a little?"  
Megatron stopped as they entered the commissary.  
"Ow." Amy rubbed here nose where she'd hit it on the Decepticon leader's armor. "Megatron, I know we haven't had time to get to know one another, but would you mind explaining why…" Her words trailed off – gone into the space as she stared in horror at the scene in front of her. "Shockwave." She barely whispered.  
Shockwavewave, or what was left of him, lay in pieces on one of the tables. Prime sat on the table behind the remains, looking unconcerned.  
"Well?" Prime asked.  
Megatron tossed Amy forward.  
"Wha- hey!" Amy shouted.  
"I found the femme, but that one," Megatron pointed to Shockwave's disemboweled, torn body. "hid the sparkling. Blaster has already probed the femme's mind. Either she doesn't know where the sparkling is, or she's hiding it very well."  
Shockwave hid her? Amy frowned at the body on the table. He lied for us?  
Prime sneered. "Useless."  
Amy slowly turned to look at Megatron. "Why?"  
Megatron laughed, his formed shimmered as a holographic projection peeled away, revealing Hound. "You're the femme. The one who I didn't get to slag in that crater." He smiled sardonically.  
Amy stared at the green and black mech then turned to look at Prime. "What have you done with Megatron? The real Megatron!" she demanded.  
Prime shrugged with a hysterical lunatic smile on his face that said I killed him, of course, my dear, because Amy always imagined deranged psychos acting too familiar with their prey.  
Amy tried to keep from panicking. This was no time to panic. She had to keep a level head.  
"There's no sign of the slagging comm. Commander." Hound growled. "He fragged up Mirage, and ran away like the sorry scrap heap he is."  
Amy sighed with relief. Soundwave may still be alive then. Calliope's safe with Ravage, but Shockwave. She pursed her lips at the corpse on the table, and pushed down the tears.  
"Very good, Hound. Fetch our messenger then." Prime smiled. It wasn't a good smile; it made every molecule of Amy's being from her toes to her nose want to drop dead from fear.

If someone was standing on the outside of the very storage closet Calliope and Ravage occupied, they would have heard a tiny knock, and an even tinier inquiry made tinny through the metal door, followed by an anxious growl.  
As it happened, there as someone passing by the door at that moment. He pushed the lock controls, and the door slid open.  
The spark-ling femme, and Ravage tumbled out in a mess of tubing an sheet metal at the mech's feet.  
"You!"  
Calliope looked up with inquiring orange optics, and a denta-less smile spread across her little face. "Da!"  
Shadow sighed, rolled his red optics skyward, and for the first time in his life, asked a certain cybertronian deity to help him with this tiny thing he considered an intruder. "For pit's sake." He crouched down, and picked up the spark-ling. Calliope fit perfectly in the crook in his arm, but reached over it, and made a desperate whine at the white cat bot still on the floor, sitting up, and watching Shadow anxiously.  
"Ah!" Calliope reached out her stubby little arm, clenching and unclenching her hand. "Aaaaah!"  
"What?" Shadow frowned at the sparkling.  
Calliope, with her minimal ability to communicate, felt at a complete loss as to why this big thing who had brought her into this world did not understand her obvious desire for Ravage to come up, and simply began to sob as loud and hard as she could.  
"Stop." Shadow demanded. The electronic wail of the little spark-ling didn't do as he wanted. "Stop. You're going to get us both offlined." He growled.  
"Pss." Came an unexpected hiss from the empty corridor.  
Shadow held Calliope instinctively closer, protectively against his chestplates, and transformed his free arm into a double-barreled plasma cannon.  
"Peace, Auto-buddy." Soundwave limped out from the shadow of a niche in the wall.  
Shadow frowned.  
"Ah!" Calliope reached out gleefully for Soundwave.  
Shadow felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy that the little bot reacted to the Decepticon so freely. He quickly shook off the unfamiliar feeling and handed the spark-ling over to the Decepticon communications officer. "Here." He grumped then walked past the white mech, searching with his arm extended for foes.  
Soundwave watched Shadow, and sighed. "Y'know, Autobot, your buddies're crawling all over this base. We need to find some place to hide before they slag us all."  
"Then go." Shadow growled. "I don't run from a fight."  
Soundwave narrowed his blue optics at the back of Shadow Bumblebee's head. "Aren't you supposed to be helping your Autobot comrades?" He arched an optic ridge at the black Autobot in question.  
Shadow paused, turned to look at Soundwave then said. "Yes." He turend back to the corridor, his face mask sliding into place as he searched the base for Autobot intruders.

Amy watched Prime wearily as he circled around her, his optics looking her over in a way that made the femme shudder. "So…" She ignored the trembling in her voice as she continued. "Do you bring all the ladies before or, or am I special?"  
Prime paused, and considered the femme with a glint in his red optics. "You're plucky, being able to joke in my presence."  
Amy's sensors shifted to high alert as Prime closed the distance between them, and reached out to her face. The red-orange femme jerked her head away with a frown.  
Prime snatched Amy's jaw, and pulled it closer to him. He turned her head up, sideways, down, and then snorted hot air onto the femme's face. "You're nothing special."  
Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Who me? You're right, I'm nothing, really." She glanced at the door nervously. "Just your run-of-the-mill lady-bot."  
Prime narrowed his red optics, and jerked first Amy's head to the side then turned her around. On her red-orange armor, the faint imprint of her red Autobot symbol caught his gaze. "Red." He said then turned Amy around to face him again. "There's not such thing as a red Autobot symbol." He growled, and flung the red orange femme into one of the commissary tables.  
The impact of her side against the table traumatized the sensor clusters there, and made the femme crumple to her knees by the table.  
"Where are you from that there is such a thing as this mark?" He grabbed Amy's right arm, and pulled her up until she dangled in front of his face. "TELL ME!" He roared.  
Amy's optic casings fluttered. She lifted her head as best she could as her vision spun, and threatened to shut down all together. "Go…" She murmured.  
Prime leaned closer to the femme.  
"…frag yourself."  
Not the answer Prime wanted, made obvious by the way he threw Amy full force into the wall, and fired.


	14. Shattered Glass Chapter 9

Merry Christmas!

-meh- merry christmas

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

In Wheeljack's lab, on the not-so-evil Autobot controlled Cybertron, Bumblebee screamed, and crumpled to the ground, clutching his chest plates.

"Bumble-buddy!" Wheeljack ran to help his yellow mech friend.

-x-x-x-x-x-

On the moon base, the very place Amy was being tortured, Shadow Bumblebee fell to his knees with a roar. He grabbed his chest, and reached out for something to brace himself on.

Soundwave rounded the corner, Calliope still on his arm, and stopped next to the black mech. "What happened to _you_?" He touched the mech, but Shadow batted him away. "Hey, Autobot, what's up with your chest? It's…It's…"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Leaking." Wheeljack gasped as fluid leaked out from Bumblebee's chest plates. "Bumblebee." He whispered then turned to where Perceptor and a periwinkle-colored femme were on console at the back of the lab. "Perceptor! Call Ratchet! Bumblebee's – er – bleeding!"

"By the Allspark." Perceptor's jaw hesitated to drop at the sight of the strange leak.

The periwinkle blue femme hurried to Bumblebee's side, and smoothed a hand over his helm. She bit her lip, looked at Bumblebee then whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"DA-AAAA!" Calliope shrieked, reaching her little hands out to Shadow to no avail.

Shadow looked at the little femme, and for a moment worry passed over his stoic red optics, but not for long. The moment passed, he suddenly jerked as if he'd been granted the strength to move again, but sat still, staring at his hands. Purple fluid covered his metal palm, and he turned his gaze down to his chest plates.

Soundwave glanced at the black mech's face then turned as a slight sound of metal bouncing down the hall made Soundwave look that direction.

A green canister bounced into view, and both mechs' optics grew wide.

"RUN!" Soundwave shouted.

Shadow pushed himself to his feet, and headed in the opposite direction of the canister. With Soundwave hot on his heels, the pair with Calliope and Ravage ran down the corridor away from the canister. Not three seconds after they rounded the nearest corner, the canister beeped rapidly, and exploded.

Green and red flame rushed the hallway like a backdraft, throwing both mechs down their intended escape route. Soundwave wrapped himself around the little spark-ling femme in his arms as he slid along the floor, and impacted the wall at the end of the hallway.

The room spun as Shadow regained some semblance of robotic consciousness. He pushed his body up onto his arms, and became aware of a somewhat familiar high-pitched electronic scream. He turned his head and saw Soundawve leaned up against the wall, cuddling the spark-ling, trying to calm her down.

"She wants _you_." Soundwave said.

Calliope reached out to Shadow, purple tears streaming down her cheeks in a wide-open-mouth wail.

Shadow rolled his red optics. "I don't have time for this." He turned, but Ravage jumped at his feet, and nipped his ankle. "Stupid minicon!" Shadow kicked Ravage into the wall.

The move made Soundwave shout, and only upset Calliope more.

Soundwave shove Calliope at Shadow, glaring. Shadow reluctantly took the infant, holding her up away from his body as Soundwave tended to Ravage.

Calliope's wailing ceased. Just stopped. Shadow made a heavy sigh, and lowered Calliope to the ground. The moment Shadow released the little femme, she began wailing again, and fell onto her baby rump. Shadow crouched down, picked her up, holding her the same way again, and stared at her.

The spark-ling stopped wailing, and stared at Shadow with bright, orange optics. In his grasp, she started to slide until Shadow's hands held her right under her arms, making her look at bit stretched, and squished at the same time.

"Hey! Don't hold 'er like that!" Soundwave snapped. "She's just a little thing. You have to be more careful with her!"

Calliope blinked at Shadow, but didn't seem to be discomforted by her position in his hands.

"I can't battle this way." Shadow grumbled.

Soundwave looked around, spying wreckage of the corridor that had blown up. "Hmm." He hummed, and went about gathering scrap.

Shadow frowned.

Calliope smiled her wide, denta-less smile.

The horns on Shadow's head flattened against his helm, and he narrowed his red optics.

Calliope burst out laughing, and clapped her hands over Shadow's arms.

Shadow shook his head at the little robot.

"Here ya go! This should help carryin' the little dudette around!" Soundwave held up a quickly welded apparatus that made Shadow glare at the mech.

"You really do despise me, don't you?"

Soundwave looked at his little Calliope carrier then shrugged. "What?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Ratchet crouched next to Bumblebee, examining the yellow mech's wound. "It seems to have stopped. Odd." He put away his laser scalpel. "I would ask you to come to the infirmary to rest for a few megacycles. All I can say is it's most likely caused by stress."

Bebop gave Ratchet an incredulous look. "_Would ask? All you can say?_ _Most likely_?" He gawked at the C.M.O. "Are you serious? You mean you don't know what happened to him?"

"Bebop, enough." Bumblebee winced as he got to his feet. "I'm fine, Ratchet. Thank you for rushing over here like you did."

Bebop shook his head. "No way, 'Bee! You're going to the infirmary, _now_!"

Bumblebee and Ratchet started, and gave Bebop matching looks of shock.

Bumblebee's optics narrowed slightly with amusement. "Is that so, Bebop?" He chuckled. "Since when do I take orders from you?" He glanced to where Wheeljack was busying himself tinkering with parts of his machine that probably ought not be tinkered with. "Althought, I suppose a few megacycles couldn't hurt. Doubtful Wheeljack will even notice I'm gone."

Ratchet nodded "Exactly my point. I already have _him_ to worry about." Ratchet grumped, stabbing an annoyed finger in Wheeljack's general direction. "I don't need _you_ added to my list of insane recharge-deprived slag heads."

Bumblebee raised his hands. "Okay, alright. Point taken." He half-chuckled nervously. "I'll be off then."

Ratchet looked at Bebop. "See that he gets there. You could use some recharging too, by the way."

Bebop gave a non-committal nod, and walked out with Bumblebee.

"You don't have to. Walk with me, that is. I'm so tired I doubt I could make my feet go anywhere else than home." Bumblebee ran a hand over his helm, and sighed.

Bebop squinted his green optic at Bumblebee. "But Ratchet said go to the infirmary."

"My quarters are closer." He said.

Bebop paused by a door. "An unused barracks are even closer." He jerked a thumb at a dark room with three or so berths settled in it. It was hard to tell through the dark, but there was at least one, and that's all Bumblebee needed to rest.

The yellow mech doubled back, and peered into the room over Bebop's shoulder. "So it is." He stepped in front of Bebop, pressed his hand to the inside wall, and lights flicked on over the recharge berths. Two looked to be disconnected, but the one on the end whirred to life, and the screen above it beeped – indicating it was ready.

"Medical grade." Bumblebee shuffled over, and sat up on the edge of it. "Nice." He sighed as he sank into it.

"Um, Bumblebee?" Bebop stood next to the berth, arms folded. "What happened to you in there? You just kind of…collapsed. I've never seen anyone's chest – er – bleed."

Bumblebee touched his chest, still laying down. "I know." He said. "Neither have I." he paused, and looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure exactly what happened," He sat up, still lazily scraping his fingers over his chest plate. "It was like…" Bumblebee trailed off, and shook his head. "Nevermind."

Bebop hesitated then asked. "Mom?"

Bumblebee glanced at the young mech, and nodded slowly. "Amy. I don't know how, but…it was her."

Bebop clutched his arms around his body, and thinned his lips. "Somehow I kind of knew." He said slowly, looking unsure of what he said. "When you fell, the first thing I thought was there's something wrong with mom." He suddenly gasped. "You don't think she's-!"

Bumblebee sat up, and placed a hand on Bebop's shoulder. "No. Don't think that, Bebop. I know she was hurt..I think…" He shook his head. "But I would know if she…" He didn't say it –Bumblebee didn't even want to think it. "Don't worry, we're going to bring her home."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Shadow decided Soundwave was the lesser of the Decepticons do-gooders, but besides that, the infant liked him.

Soundwave smiled, and shook his head as they walked. "Not a peep. Surprise, surprise."

Shadow frowned, and glared at the Decepticon, already humiliated enough by the protruding apparatus the infant sat in on Shadow's chest. Now the Decepticon was laughing at him. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Soundwave sighed. "I guess I thought little ones could sense if someone was good or bad. She doesn't seem to like _me_ very much, but she loves _you_." His voice gave a light, teasing sound.

Shadow paused. "Something's happening."

Soundwave turned and looked at Shadow just as two Autobots rounded the corners.

"Well, well, sucka! Where you been hidin'?" Jazz cracked his metal knuckles, smirking at Shadow.

Shadow rolled his red optics. "All I need," He groaned. "First Decepticons, now Autobots."

Soundwave muttered aside to Shadow. "What were you saying about something happening?"

Shadow frowned. "She's gonna get herself killed." He glanced at Soundwave, and nodded.

Soundwave started then looked at Jazz. "What'd you do with Blazer?"

Jazz shrugged. "Never heard of 'im."

"The femme." Shadow glared at Jazz.

Jazz arched an optic ridge at Shadow, looked at Soundwave then snorted. "What, are you with _them_ now?" He looked almost delighted, and raised a hand weapon. "I always wanted a reason t' bust yo' aft."

Prime picked up Amy's limp body from the floor, and slammed her down onto the nearest table. Amy winced, but was otherwise not hurt (any more than she was already). She glared at Prime, but he seemed to enjoy her rage.

"Now," Prime tightened his grip on Amy's neck. "My messenger tells me you've bewitched Bumblebee."

Amy didn't respond.

"Not I give a slag about what that little back-stabber does. I just want to know how painfully I should offline his spark." Prime said.

_Shadow! _Amy gasped.

Shadow's mind was right there in an instant, warm a solid in her mind. _I'm coming. Does Prime have you?_

_ You sound almost concerned._ Amy teased, trying to push out everything to do with Prime at the moment.

_You are, and I'm not. I just want to be the one to offline your worthless hide._

_ I love you, too_. Amy's voice choked, even in her mind. _But if you don't get here quick, Prime's gonna…gonna…_Her vision started to unfocus as Prime squeezed Amy's visual adjusters.

_Need…help…_Amy wheezed.

Shadow fired at Jazz in the middle of a little speech he was giving about how he was going to tear Calliope apart piece by itty bitty piece.

Soundwave started, and looked at Shadow. "That was," He glanced at Jazz's smoking body. "Anti-climactic."

Shadow glared at Soundwave then stalked forward. "She's in the commissary – if Prime hasn't offlined her already."

Soundwave stepped around Jazz as he replied. "Y'know, I think you really do like her. Blazer, that is." He was about to step past Jazz, but the dark blue mech grabbed his ankle, and sunk his sharp denta into it. Soundwave screamed in pain.

Shadow turned, and fired at Jazz's head. The processors exploded, singing Soundwave's ankle.

"Nice shot!" Soundwave whooped.

Shadow made a _tch_ noise. "I am _not_ carrying you."

Soundwave shrugged.

With Soundwave slung over one shoulder, and Calliope bouncing, and kicking her legs on his chest as she giggled, Shadow felt every last ounce of his self-image draining. This isn't how an Autobot is supposed to be seen.

"I really appreciate it, Auto-buddy." Soundwave chuckled.

Ravage trotted along below Soundwave, clipping Shadow's heels a few times.

"Heh. Good girl." Soundwave smiled.

Ravage hopped, and licked Soundwave's dangling hand.

"Don't talk. And stop calling me Auto-Buddy. My name is Shadow."

_No, that's what _I_ named you. Your name is Bumblebee. See? You _do_ like me, but can I convince you to like me a little bit more? I'm pretty sure Prime and Hound are talking about killing me very slowly. And that's AFTER Prime intends for me to breed him an army, so would you please?_

_ **What do I look like? Your personal savior? Autobots don't rescue people.**_

****_Well, you're carrying Soundwave and baby Calliope, and you're on your way to the commissary. If that's not rescue, I don't know what is._

_ **Then you don't know what is.**_

They reached the commissary where Shadow beheld Prime leaning over the red-orange femme flat on the table, unconscious, Ratchet with a drill to her chest plates.

"Hey!" Soundwave exclaimed. "Leave the dudette alone!"

Shadow dropped the white mech, and extended his double-barrel plasma cannons. He didn't exchange witty, arrogant banter with Optimus and Ratchet, he just fired. A Shot to each of their heads, scrambling their processors.

Soundwave blinked. "What's _with_ you, huh? Don't you know when you're saving the lady, you have to at least tell the fiends you're here to save her?"

Shadow cast Soundwave a frown. He blinked, but said nothing.

Soundwave pulled himself up to standing as Shadow neared Amy.

Shadow leaned over Amy, one blaster transforming to a hand. He touched Amy's head, and rubbed it.

_I knew you would come._ Amy's mind sighed.

Shadow gave the unconscious femme an annoyed frown. **_I didn't come for _****you_, I don't want this little noisemaker bothering me anymore. It's not Autobot-like_****.**

_Weenie._ Amy's optic casing flitted, and opened. "You're such a weenie." She half-smiled.

Shadow frowned.

Soundwave waved. "Heey, Blazer!"

Amy sat up on an elbow, and gave a wave. "Hey Sound – NO!"

Hound walked in, and shoved a piece of rebar through Shockwave's spark chamber.

Shadow growled something in rude Cybertronian, and shot Hound through the head.

"SoundWAVE!" Amy jumped off the table, and ran toward the white mech. "No, no, stay with me! Open your eyes!"

Soundwave was fading. He managed a small smile. "Hey…gotta – uhn – give ya…" He pushed Ravage from where she was nuzzling. "Take 'er…safe…"

"No, Soundwaaaaave." Amy touched Soundwave's face as the light in his optics faded, and his body made a slow whining down sound.

Amy shook her head. "No. I – you can't die! Soundwave, no! Please!"

Shadow yanked Amy away from where she was crying and pleading for offline Soundwave to come back. He waited patiently for the femme to stop crying – he detested that sound – then spoke to her none-too-gently.

"This is so bad." Amy whispered, her head in her hands. She had taken to sitting on one of the tables, Calliope wedged in her lap. "What do we do now?" She looked up as Shadow scrounged around Prime and Ratchet for their weapons.

Shadow glanced at Amy. "_We_ don't do anything. _I_'_m_ going back to Cybertron to salvage what's left of my pride." He glared at the infant half-hidden between Amy's arms. "You're on your own. Don't follow me."


	15. Shattered Glass Chapter 10

Amy clenched her teeth. "Fine! Go then! Abandon us to get killed by whatever Prime left behind here!" Amy scooped Calliope up into the crook of her arm. "I don't give a flying rat's ass about you, either!"

Shadow watched the femme with his glare as she crossed the commissary, Ravage on her heels. Calliope chirped at Shadow from the doorway then the door closed, and the black mech ignored the infant's cries as he exited another door to do exactly what he wanted – return to Cybertron, and assert himself in Prime's place.

_That sounds pathetic_, Amy said.

_Get out of my head, femme!_ Shadow didn't stop as he stalked toward the shuttle bay he'd seen on the way in.

_ No, you get out of mine!_ Amy shouted. _I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore! I'm leaving this primus-forsaken world, and I'm taking Calliope with me! I'll see _my_ Bumblebee again, and my children, and leave you far behind to get killed in battle, or whatever you get off on._

_ You_. Shadow replied before he could stop himself.

_Yeah? Me what?_ Amy shrieked.

_I get off on you._ Said Shadow.

Amy stopped walking, and stared at the floor of the corridor. "You're sick." She muttered.

Ravage growled indignantly.

"No," Amy shook her head. "Not you, Ravage." She sniffed. "_Him_." She said, thinking of Shadow.

_Thank you. _Said Shadow, snidely. _I don't usually take kindly to comments, and you'll be lucky if I don't turn around and offline you before I leave._

Amy was about to snarl, and looked up to see the black mech walk into the adjacent corridor, pass them then storm back into view. The red-orange femme blinked at the mech. "You lost?"

Shadow snarled as he walked past Amy.

Squealed, and reached out for Shadow giggling.

Shadow stopped, and whirled around to face the little infant. "What!" He bellowed. "What could you possibly slagging want from me?"  
"Don't yell at her!" Amy shouted back.

Ignoring Amy, Shadow continued. "When have I _ever_ given you _any _indication that I want anything to do with you!" The black mech bared his sharp denta at the infant, but she didn't seem at all fazed by him.

Amy smirked with triumphant amusement. "Well," she looked from Calliope to Shadow. "Guess you're not as scary as you think you are."

Ravage snarled at Shadow from behind Amy's legs.

Shadow turned to walk away, but doubled back, raising one of the plasma cannons he took off of Prime. The glowing purple purple end whirred in Calliope's face, but the infant femme reached out, and grabbed the metal of the outside, and did little more than gurgle as the metal singed her fingers.

"I dare you." Said Amy. "We're at point blank, Shadow. You could kill us both from here, and Ravage is no challenge." Amy snapped her fingers. "It'd be no problem, and then you can go back and fight for leadership of that pathetic band of psychopaths until one of them does like you, and kills you off. It'll be easy, like melting butter."

Shadow shifted the weapon into heavy mode, the end darkening, and spinning faster.

Amy could feel the heat from the weapon fanning over her face. It felt like a warm summer breeze rather than a weapon in her face.

Calliope whimpered, as if realizing Shadow may be serious. She buried her face against Amy's chest plate, and started mewling.

"_Now_, you're scaring her." Amy stared at Shadow, and the black mech stared right back. _You would have shot me by now. _She thought, blinking slowly. _What are you waiting for?_

Shadow roared, and fired the weapon.

Amy saw the flash of the expelled energy, and felt the hot plasma bullet singe her face plates as it exploded past her head, and blew out a good chunk of the wall behind her.

Calliope screamed.

Shadow turned, and punched the wall with the plasma cannon. It exploded on his arm, making his roar in pain, and frustration. Amy stood back, calming Calliope as Shadow took out his rage on the wall, now minus a hand, but that didn't stop him from cursing and shouting for a good ten minutes or so.

Amy turned at the sound of footsteps running down the corridor. Starscream, followed by three other seekers rounded the corner. She smiled, and waved her hand to say 'it's okay'.

Starscream looked at Shadow, frowned, and cautiously approached. "We heard plasma fire."

"You heard _a_ plasma fire." Amy said, holding up one finger. "Once. It's okay, though. He wasn't actually going to shoot me."

"I CAN SHOOT YOU ANY SLAGGING TIME I WANT TO!" Shadow roared, pointing his half arm dripping lubricants and oil.

Amy smiled. "Oh, so that means you don't want to." She cocked her head at Shadow, which just enraged him more, and he punched the wall with his dilapidated arm. Amy felt a twinge of pain in her arm, and sighed. "Alright, that's enough of that, thank you. Here, will you hold her?" Amy passed Calliope to Starscream. "Don't worry about her crying, she's just worried about Shadow."

"Shadow?" Starscream arched an optic ridge as he held the infant awkwardly.

Amy approached calmly. Shadow whirled on her, and the femme slapped him as hard as she could across the face. The black mech's optics seemed to darken to blood red as he directed his rage at her. Amy held up a finger. "Stop. I can feel pain in my arm, and you're scaring the baby."

With a snarl, Shadow slammed his back against the nearest wall, and slid down into a sitting position where he stayed, trying to burn a hole in the floor with his gaze. Had it been possible, the mech probably would have succeeded.

Amy rolled her eyes, and sighed. She glanced at Shadow, shook her head, and let a small smile spread across her face. I wonder what he would say? Amy thought of Bumblebee, and could almost see the disguted look on his face as he accused Shadow of being some kind of imposter.

_Sounds like a slag-sucking sorrian._ Said Shadow's voice in Amy's head.

_Oh shut up, and brood._ Amy growled.

Shadow made an almost animalistic sound from where he sat on the floor that only made Amy snort, and shake her head. "Mechs."

Starscream watched the red-orange femme cautiously then in pure disbelief, said. "How did you do that? You subdued that Autobot with violence."

Amy nodded. "Yeah. It works with masochists." She shrugged then added quickly. "Not that I know many masohists!"

Starscream nodded slowly. "Right."

"Oh, by the way, Shadow." Amy said over her shoulder. "You can leave any time you want."

Shadow said nothing in reply.

Amy followed Starscream, trying to forget what had happened in the commissary – that was the second time the Autobots had almost killed her, and the femme was starting to feel the psychological effects setting in.

"Okay." Starscream settled into Soundwave's chair, brushing oil cans aside.

"YAAAA!" Ratbat burst up from a large pile of oil cans, startling Amy and Shadow, and making Calliope laugh. Ratbat considered the bots in the room, glanced at the pile of cans then said in a shrieking indignant voice. "I can stop anytime I want to!"

"You just don't want to." Amy said, glancing at Shadow.

Shadow glared as his face mask closed down over his faceplates.

Amy turned to Starscream. "So," She lifted Ravage out of her way, and set the cat down where she'd left Calliope sitting next to the wall. "how do we find out if there are other Autobots around?"

"There aren't. No bot could have possibly survived the Autobot's attack!" Thundercracker exclaimed.

Skywarp started as Thundercracker's voice rose.

Starscream sighed. "Except you." He muttered.

"Of course, me!" Thundercracker shouted. "I can survive anything." He folded his arms.

"Not that you have an ego." Amy frowned then turned back to the screen. "So?"

Starscream rubbed his optics. "Unfortunately, Thundercracker has a point." The screen blinked, and brought up a panning view of a dilapidated corridor that opened up onto space when it hadn't before.

Amy gasped. "Omigod." She whispered. "What happened to the base?"

"Bombed!" Skywarp wailed. "They were everywhere! They came in through the wall! They killed _everyone_!" He balled up on the ground, and sobbed.

Amy started. "Why didn't anyone know this was coming?"

Starscream grumbled. "Blaster's security net. He could've easily expanded it to cover the Autobot's infiltration.

"So, there aren't any alarms AFTER they blow a hole in the side of the moon?" Amy gawked.

"We found – " Starscream gestured vaguely to Shadow's general direction. "Him. The Seekers did a thorough sweep, and didn't see any other bots.

Amy nodded, though not in agreement. "Well, I'm not convinced." She turned to look at Calliope, and smiled. "Starscream, watch the baby. Shadow, come with me." The red-orange femme walked toward the door as both mechs, Calliope, and Ravage all started to protest at once.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Amy shouted over the protesting. "I have _had it _with the mech posturing! Starscream, watch after Calliope! Shadow, come with me, or I'm dragging you!" She shouted.

Starscream glanced at Calliope then turned back to his console.

Shadow muttered obscenities, and followed after Amy.

"So where are we going?" Shadow asked as they walked down the corridor.

Amy stopped walking, and stood with her back to Shadow. "How many got in?" She asked.

Shadow started. "How many?"

Amy turned quickly, and cuffed Shadow's nose with the heel of her hand. The black mech stumbled backward. "_How many_, Shadow?" She demanded.

Shadow wiped at his nose as purple lubricant oozed from it. He smirked. "Looks like half a dozen – more than enough to take out Megatron and his armada."

Amy balled up her fist, and swung out to punch Shadow, shrieking.

Shadow dodged Amy's arm that time, grabbed it, and flipped the femme onto her back. "You think you can fight me, _femme?_" Shadow scoffed. "You're nothing! You have no power here!"

Amy lifted her head, her optics glowing white. Shadow was sent flying into the wall, pinned by an unseen force that threatened to squash his frame. "Don't you dare underestimate me, _mech."_

Shadow clenched his teeth against the pressure building against his spark chamber.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." Amy's optics darkened to their natural green, but Shadow remained pinned to the wall. "You have no right to call yourself _Bumblebee_. I don't care what universe you're from."

The black mech snorted.

Amy narrowed her optics. The sound of one of his denta being snapped loose made Shadow grunt, and spit the metal piece to the floor.

"There is a child here. She could have died." Amy hissed.

Shadow glared at the femme. "You should be more worried about that incompetent fool you left in charge of her." He growled.

Amy's optics twitched. "Why?"

"Because the Autobots don't want Starscream alive to study, though he may make a very nice wall-hanging." Shadow sneered.

Amy punched the hostage Autobot then ran away from him back toward the communications room.

Shadow spit lubricant where the hole in his jaw oozed from his missing denta.

A bot approached, and picked up the denta from the floor. "It ain't yo' style to getta denta knocked out."

Shadow turned his head, glaring. "Jazz." He said.

The blue mech nodded. "S'up, foo'?"

"So it was you." Shadow glared.

"Me wut?" Jazz snorted. "Oh, who lef' dat hol inna wall fo' th' 'bots t' get in. Yeh, dat wuz me." He tossed Shadow's tooth up in the air, and caught it.

Shadow turned his head away.

"Butchu wuz ready t' take all the credit, now, _Bumblebee_." Jazz laughed. "Whatchu got t' lose if dey know you jus' walked right in 'thout anybody seein' you."

Shadow didn't say anything.

Jazz smiled, revealing sharp fang denta. "Izzat femme got some'in t' do wit' it?"

Shadow jerked against the invisible bonds pinning him to the wall.

Jazz licked his lower lip. "Thought so. Mebbe ah jus' make 'er pay fo' yo' betrayal. Heh, an' make you watch."

Shadow growled oaths in Cybertronian, making Jazz laugh.

"Yeh, I'd like t' see you try." The blue mech walked away, his laughter still audible after he rounded the corner.

Amy arrived at the communications hub, and sighed with relief to see Starscream still sitting at the console. Calliope sat on the floor next to Ravage, and Doctor.

Stupid Shadow, thought Amy. Of course he'd been wrong. She would never let any bot touch her new family.

_You can't stop them._ Said Shadow's voice.

"Ma!" Calliope reached out her arms, and grinned.

Amy ignored Shadow, and walked over to her infant. "Hi baby. Hiii." She picked up Calliope, and cuddled her.

_For Pit sakes, femme! I didn't let the Autobots in! I came in through a duct! Jazz is the one who destroyed the outer hull! I was caught in the backdraft, that's why the Decepticons found me!_

Amy shook her head, and nuzzled Calliope's belly, making the infant giggle.

_Listen to me, he's coming for you, and the infant, and no matter your strength, Jazz won't miss! You can't talk your way out of this, femme!_

Amy continued to ignore Shadow.

_Let me help you! AMY!_

Amy froze, and turned when someone entered the communications center. She beheld the blue mech who looked so much like her first beloved that she couldn't say anything for a moment.

"'Ey." Said the mech.

"Hey." Said Amy.

_RUN!_ Shadow's voice shouted desperately.

Jazz lashed out with a chain sickle from his arm that wrapped around Amy's neck. He pulled Amy toward him before she could react, grabbed Calliope, kissed Amy's lips, and shoved her harder than expected into the wall.

"Ah be takin' dis."

Ratbat shrieked, and dove toward Jazz with desperation and nothing left to lose.

Jazz fired his arm cannon at the bat before it could even get close.

"NO!" Amy screamed dizzily from the floor. "RATBAAT!"

Ravage lunged at Jazz's leg, and was summarily kicked, and crashed through the base of a console.

Starscream jumped down from the upper catwalk, and started firing at Jazz, driving the mech out the door.

"NO! NO!" Amy jumped up to give chase.

"Blazer, no! He's gone, let him -!"

"HE HAS CALLIOPE!" Amy pushed Starscream away, and ran after the blue mech. _No, no, no, no!_ Amy panicked as she ran down the halls with no idea where the mech had gone. She ran past Shadow, waving her hand. The mech was released, and chased after Amy. "He took her!" She shouted. "He has her! They have my baby!" She reached the hole in the hull, and heard ship engines roaring away.

"No! The vacuum with crush you!" Shadow pulled Amy back from the shielded hole in the wall. "She's gone, Amy."

"No! Don't you say that!" Amy shoved Shadow. "I'm not giving up!"

Shadow grabbed Amy, and held her firmly against him.

Amy cried, and pleaded with deities and fates to bring her baby back to her, but it was all she could do – cry and plead, and sob, and pray. She knew deep down the Autobots would do terrible things to a child. She had seen them drag away a child, kicking and screaming with no regard to it whatsoever. The red-orange femme slipped to the ground, still in Shadow's arms, her spark sank into a deep depression she tried futilely to fight. "My baby!" she said over and over again.

"I'm sorry." Said Shadow.

Amy shoved him away. "You didn't even like her! Did you? You hated her!"

"That doesn't mean I wanted the infant offline!" Shadow roared.

Amy stood up.

_Calm down. You won't give up, fine. Neither will I, but know this. If you go wandering back into Autobot territory, they aren't going to give you a second chance. You're too valuable._

Amy scoffed. "Please, I'm not worth anything." She snapped.

"I've been at the mercy of your power, Amy."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Amy shouted. "Don't you ever call me that! You have no right!"

Shadow frowned. "Fine. Blazer."

Amy shook her head, and held it in her hands.

"Well, what? What am I supposed to call you? Amy is your name, isn't it?"

"Yes." I Amy wailed.

"Then _what_?" Shadow demanded.

"I don't know." Amy hiccupped.

"What?" Shadow snapped.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Amy screamed. "I don't know anything anymore! I just want to save my daughter, and go home! I can't stand to be here anymore! Especially with you!"

Shadow started.

"You're as bad as the rest of them!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Bumblebee woke from his restoration with a deep feeling of sorrow weighing on his spark. He found it difficult to even get up. It felt like he'd lost something dear to him not worth losing. He sighed. _I have._

The door opened, and Ratchet stood silhouetted by the light of the corridor outside. "Bumblebee, we're prepared for the next test."

Bumblebee nodded, and swung his legs off the edge of the berth.

It was almost unbearable to walk to the door, and follow Ratchet out into the corridor. He felt the lack of Amy's presence in the world stronger than ever today.

****As they walked, Bumblebee dwelled on the day he had lost her. The shockwave had hit the city, and the yellow mech had watched helplessly as the femme was wiped from existence.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Amy walked with purpose down the corridor, ignoring Shadow the whole way. How do you bounce back from an argument like they'd had. It didn't matter what reality she was in, that mech is Bumblebee, and he's all she had left, after…Amy shook her head.

He came for me, Amy thought. When he was leaving, he circled back without realizing it. He had his cannons in my face, and he couldn't fire at me. He missed. She wiped the lubricant from her optics. My Bumblebee couldn't kill me either.

She felt like she had been twisted in knots since arriving here. Now she had Bumblebee's daughter, and was spark-linked to a Bumblebee who seemed to care less. No, that's not true, she told herself. He's kind even if he won't admit it. But, he isn't Bumblebee! She glanced back to where he kept pace just behind her.

****Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on something she wasn't sure even bothered the mech. _It would bother me_, Amy sighed to herself. _If I risked everything I am to save someone I love, even I didn't realize that's what I was doing._ She stopped. _Even if I didn't save them at all…_

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Alright, mechs, here we go." Ratchet said as he walked in with Bumblebee in tow. "Bumblebee, on that console."

Bumblebee fired up the console. _We're coming, Amy._

****"Okay, hold onto your plating, everybody!" Wheeljack announced as he started up the main consoles. "

-x-x-x-x-x-

Shadow stopped next to Amy, silent for the count of five before he spoke. "Who did you lose?"

"What?" Amy looked at the mech. "My baby. That mech just took her."

"I mean, in the war." Shadow said as Amy started to walk again.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Amy growled as she stomped down the corridor – it helped, the stomping, that is.

Shadow snorted. "You don't act like a bot who's got somethin' to lose. You're at your end, nothing left, so you figure you'll throw yourself to the wolves, and be done with it."

Amy stopped walking.

"So who'd you lose?" Shadow asked.

Amy considered just walking away, not humoring Shadow at all, and leaving him a little annoyed, and unanswered.

"Everything." Amy turned, and looked at the black mech. He folded his arms as she continued. "It was Unicron. I went up inside it with this two-timing hellion named Twilight. She trapped me inside Unicorn's spark, and –"

"It most likely destroyed it." Shadow said.

"How did you-?" Amy started.

"I was in your head, remember?" Shadow tapped his helm. "When our sparks merged, it left a link behind." The mech shuddered. "Not that I wanna talk about it, and just so we're clear, I aint' helpin' you, I just wanna get back to Cybertron proper, so I can take my rightful place as leader of the Autobots."

Amy snorted. "Right. Like you want to lead – chances are, all you want is to kill off all the rest of Autobots for some sick, sadistic reason I don't wanna know about."

Shadow smirked. "You still ain't answered my question."

Amy started. "Yes, I did, I told you I lost everything."

Shadow smirked. "But that's not what I asked you.

Amy's step faltered. "Oh?" She regained herself, and continued walking. "What was the question?"

Shadow sped up his step, grabbed Amy's arm, and pulled her hard around, and against him. "Who. Did. You lose?"

Amy stared up at Shadow, a stubborn set in her jaw. "Why do you care so much?"

Shadow's right optic ticked then he released Amy with a slight shove. "I don't."

Amy watched Shadow as he started past her, arms clenched at his sides. "Jazz." She said.

Shadow stopped, and slowly turned to face the femme. "Say that again."

Amy sighed, and folded her arms as she pushed a toe against the floor. "In my reality," she started slowly, feeling a well of guilt forming inside her. "Jazz was my lover, but…" She pushed on her optics as coolant tears threatened to spill out. "He was killed – when Unicron was destroyed." She didn't want to cry again, certainly not in front of Shadow. She'd done an awful lot of crying since Unicron, and she was frankly starting to get sick of it. "But I was on my way to rescue him, and Bumblebee almost died in a battle, and I got so overwhelmed with the war, and the fighting, and I just…" She dug her fingers into her sides.

"You interfaced with Bumblebee." Shadow said with just a hint of amusement. "That's why we're linked."

Amy nodded wordlessly.

Shadow almost laughed. "You couldn't help yourself? Really? _That's_ your explanation? HA! Admit it, you're just a doll at spark, aren't you?"

Amy looked up, Shadow's would-be insult completely lost on her. "What?" She squinted one optic at him. "What do you mean, a doll?"

"A doll is a prostitute by human terms." Said Starscream as he walked up.

Amy spun around, startled. "Starscream!" She gasped. "Golly, stop doing that!" She crouched down as Ravage trotted up, and rubbed against her legs, purring. "You're good at sneaking up on me."

Starscream shrugged. "Sorry. I'm taking the seekers out. There's not much left here, and Megatron is either Prime's prisoner, or dead."

"Prime's dead." Said Shadow.

Thundercracker scoffed. "As if! I save Prime's destruction for Megatron! Not that he could do a better job than I, but still!"

Amy placed a finger to her lips, and made a zipping gesture. "Shhh."

With that, Thundercracker suddenly couldn't talk. He seemd to be silently panicking as he flailed around, and yelled at everyone.

Starscream and Skywarp considered Amy then Starscream said. "Thanks."

Amy shrugged. "I didn't."

Shadow snorted. "Yes you did."

Amy whirled on him. "What?"

Shadow moved toward the group, sidestepping Thundercracker's silent protest. "Don't forget, _Amy, _I've been inside your head." The black mech sneered. "Not that it's anything to write home about."

Amy glared.

"You're connected to the Matrix of Leadership." Shadow smirked.

Starscream took a surprised step away from the femme. "You what?" His optics turned dark. His face took on an accusatory frown. "All of this, so you could take the matrix?"

"What? No! I didn't take it from anybody! It was given to me by the Primes!"

Starscream looked at Shadow then back at Amy. "The Primes are folklore. Admit it, you only came here to kill two birds with one stone!"

Amy just gawked. Not so long ago, Starscream had been on her side, and now he had accuse in his optics, and a scowl on his face.

"I saw you with the Autobots! You can't change your pain job on me! You're working _with_ them, aren't you?"

"Paint job?" Amy gasped. "What are you talking about?"

Starscream backed away from Amy. "You're nothing to me." He lifted his arm, the cannon on it glowing red.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Wheeljack activated the machine, and most of the bots in the room took cover. Bumblebee stood firm by his console as the machine came to life, whirring, and glowing. A ball of light formed at the top of the machine then shot out through the tunnel dug by the Wreckers. On the screen, the light could be seen combining with the bubble that had all but disappeared in orbit about Cybertron.

Wheeljack checked his instruments, looking pensive. "Four microns until critical mass!"

Ratchet checked his instruments. "The machine is overheating, Wheeljack!"

Wheeljack just watched the screens, and the readouts.

Bumblebee looked to the screens. "Amy." He murmured.

-x-x-x-x-

Amy fell to the floor of the corridor screaming, her body engulfed in blue static just as it had on Diego Garcia. Shadow fell to one knee soundless, but surrounded by the same blue static charges.

Ravage came running around the corner, and tried to stop at the sight of the femme, but skidded right into her body, and was engulfed in the static charge. Ratbat landed on Thundercracker's shoulder, staring in as much stark horror and awe as the other mechs.

"NOOOO!" Amy screamed. "NOT NOW! CALLIOPEEEEE!"

With her scream echoing around the corridor, Amy, Shadow, and Ravage disappeared with little more than a remaining static charge left behind them.


	16. Get Animated

Bumblebee stared up at the machine, stress tears forming in his optics. Wheeljack had never said how the machine worked (in lemans terms) or what indications would lead them to believe it had been successful, but the yellow mech knew. He just knew they had failed miserably.

A deep, black hole formed in his chest where his park used to be, and he doubled over with a pained moan. He clutched his chest plates, and felt such a deep sorrow, and worthlessness he couldn't describe, he wished his spark would just extinguish if it meant the pain would stop.

Upon hearing the news of Bumblebee's collapse in the Wheeljack's lab, Bebop ran with Hopscotch to see how the yellow mech was doing.

"He just keeps getting worse." Said Ratchet with a sigh.

Bebop started. "Worse? Worse with what?" The white/blue mech demanded. "What happened to him, Ratchet? Bots don't just fall over for no reason, and go into stasis."

The C.M.O. frowned. "Bumblebee is _not_ in stasis, far from it. He's just depressed, but nonresponsive."

"That's catatonic, _docbot_. That bot in there is a second father to me, so if you don't have the answer, I'm going to find someone who does!" Bebop shouted.

Ratchet would normally not have taken this kind of treatment from anyone, but Bebop was right – after Unicron, Jazz had bee laid-up in the hospital for stellar cycles, and could barely walk, and talk, let alone take care of his son. He was due to get out soon, and that was good news, but Bumblebee had been the one to watch after Bebop for most of his life.

"Alright," Ratchet sighed. "From stories that I've heard – just stories, kid – Bumblebee is experiencing a kind of separation anxiety."

Bebop frowned. "He what?"

Ratchet chose his words carefully, he didn't know how much of this Bebop had been told. "Some years ago, not long before Unicron, I'm told. Amy and Bumblebee interfaced their sparks to learn that they were what was referred to in only a mythological sense as _sparkmates._"

"Yeah, I heard this from Firestar, but mom and dad love each other, and nothing can change that." Bebop said stubbornly, squeezing Hopscotch's had until she shrieked. "Sorry." He released her hand. He folded his arms. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Ratchet sighed again. "You're young, so don't take this the wrong way. People change, especially when faced with a bond as strong as one shared by Amy and Bumblebee. I've read separating sparkmates is like trying to separate to sides of a very strong magnet. You might get them apart, but let them go, and they'll only find each other again. With your mom not here anymore, there's nothing for Bumblebee's magnet to connect with so-to-speak."

Bebop gave that some serious thought. "So…what you're saying is…?" He trailed off, not sure what he thought Ratchet was saying.

Ratchet placed a hand on Bebop's shoulder. "I suspect he's been suffering for quite some time, but can't seem to conceal it any longer." He squeezed Bebop's shoulder. "He's fighting a battle with his will to live, kid, and he's losing."

Bebop's mismatched optics grew wide. "He what? No!" He pushed past Ratchet, and into the room. He leaped to Bumblebee's side. "Bumblebee, you can't die!" He shouted. "You don't give up, not after mom was gone, or dad was in the hospital, please! You have to get up! You have to!"

Ratchet came in, and grabbed Bebop gently, but firmly, and pulled him away from the still-laying mech.

"No, Bumblebee! You can't die! Bumblebeeee!"

-x-x-x-x-

Bumblebee lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling in the bedroom in the house on Earth. "Amy!" He gasped, and sat up, though there was nothing around. The house lay still, and quiet, and made the hairs on the back of his human pretender's neck stand on end. He could feel the presence of something – something wrong. He climbed off the bed, his bare feet padding across the carpet to the door. He grabbed the knob, but it was shut tight, as if someone were pulling it from the other side.

"Bumblebee, don't!" Amy grabbed the blonde from behind, and pulled him away from the door.

The blonde turned, and stared into the green eyes of the pretender woman. He need no words to convey his shock, and relief. He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed every inch of her face until their lips met. The blonde pretender man wanted to kiss her until they could no longer breathe, but since they didn't breathe anyway, they would be kissing for a very long time.

Amy gently eased the blonde man away, and gave him a satisfied smile. "I missed you, too," She jumped as the door shook with the force of someone banging on it. "Oh geezuz."

"What is it?" Bumblebee turned to open the door, but Amy stopped him.

"No! You can't do that, if he sees you, well – I don't know what'll happen." She shrugged. "It could be bad, or it could be _really_ bad."

"Bad or really bad?" The door shuddered again, making even Bumblebee jump that time. The blonde frowned at the door then looked back to Amy, and his heart (or spark) warmed. "Oh, my love, I've missed you." He embraced her again.

Amy made a little cooing sound, and squeezed him in her arms. "I know, honey." She kissed his earlobe as she made to pull away from him. "I'm sorry I can't get to you."

"You're here now, that's all that matters." The blonde man sighed into the woman's hair, which had a tint of orange to it, making it more of a dark, dark brown than black anymore. "We can stay here, like this." He murmured into her hair.

Amy felt the whole of her being begin to whither beneath Bumblebee's loving embrace, and gentle whispers. "I didn't realize how much I've missed you really until just now, knowing that in a few minutes you'll be gone again, and I'll be somewhere else."

Bumblebee gasped. "That's right! We're trying to bring you home, Amy! Wheeljack has a machine that's supposed to do. –er – something, but we've tested it twice, and it -!"

"Twice?" Amy asked. "Does this machine do anything to Takions?" She asked.

Bumblebee looked at a slight loss. "Um, something about that, yes. Why?"

Certain pieces started to shift into place.

The door groaned.

"Oh, damn it." Amy hissed. "He's gonna break down the god damn door."

Bumblebee started. "Who is? Are they trying to hurt you?"

"What?" Amy started. "No! He's-!"

The door burst into hundreds of splinters, spraying into the room like so many dramatic horror movie entrances.

"Amy, get behind me!"

"No!" Amy moved in front of Bumblebee.

The blonde stared at the doorway where a black mass loomed just beyond the doorway.

"You jerk! I told you not to come in here!"

Bumblebee's mouth hung open slightly. "Amy…who?"

"You?" she shrugged. "If you were a billowing black mass of jealousy and rage with red optics?"

Bumblebee turned astonished optics to the mass. "Me? What?"

"Don't worry." Amy turned and planted a kiss to sweet and loving to his lips, it silenced any and all objections.

The black mass roared, two red dots flashing from inside its depths.

Amy pulled away from the kiss with slight sucking sound. "Shut your face!" She snapped then turned back to Bumblebee. "I'll be home soon, just keep doing what you're doing with Wheeljack."

"Amy." Bumblebee grabbed her arm. "You can stay, I know you can. I can feel it."

Amy smiled sadly. "I can't. Not yet."

"But why?" Bumblebee protested.

Amy took Bumblebee's hands in hers. "I have to find our daughter first." She released Bumblebee's hands, and ran into the black mass.

Bumblebee tried to follow, but the door reformed itself in reverse until it was solid, and umoving.

Bumblebee awoke in the infirmary feeling not at all hopeless, and completely aware. He sat up, looked around, and upon seeing Ratchet just outside the cracked infirmary door, the mech jumped off of the berth, and proceeded to tell Ratchet everything he had just learned.

-x-x-x-x-

It was quiet. Quiet wasn't a bad thing as far as Jazz was concerned. He was a little disappointed that he had missed the test, but life happens. He tapped his right heel on the ground to a song in his head. His right leg had been nothing but bare circuits when he'd woken up on Cybertron's surface inexplicably. The first thing he had wondered, of course, was – where is Amy?

The door to the lab opened, and Bumblebee paused, seeing the silver mech sitting on the floor, looking up at the quiet machine.

"Oh," The yellow mech hesitated to approach. "Hello, Major."

"He-hey!" Jazz turned around without standing up. "If it ain't Bumble! How the slag are ya? Been a while."

Bumblebee nodded. "Yes, it has. I apologize for not coming to see you in the VA, Major, but –"

"Nah, das a'ight." Jazz waved a hand. "So, he glanced at the machine. Wus dis thing do anyway?"

Bumblebee approached slowly. "Well, it's," He paused. "The machine is designed to…er…" He had known only solar cycles ago. He thought as Jazz gaze him a quizzically amused face then shrugged his shoulders and said. "I have no slagging idea what it does." He sat down on the floor near Jazz, and sighed. "But it's supposed to bring Amy back."

"Back?" Jazz started. He looked at the machine. "From…the matrix?"

Bumblebee gave the silver mech a shocked look. "You mean…you don't know, Major?"

"Bee, call me 'major' one mo' time, an I'ma pop you. Mah name's Jazz. We known each otheh long enough fo' you t' call me dat, a'ight?" He chuckled. He waved a playful fist at Bumblebee.

Bumblebe managed a slight grunt. He just couldn't chuckle what with everything that was going on. "Right." He relaxed slightly. "I know, Jazz."

"Das betteh." Jazz grinned. "So where's mah girl gone if not th' Matrix?"

Bumblebee gave Jazz an inquisitive look. "Not that I blame you for thinking so, since Amy was blown up inside Unicron, but…why do you think she's dead?"

Jazz's expression didn't falter as he smiled up at the machine. "Ah never said she wuz dead. But ah know dat girl. She can't sit still fo' nothin', an' ah jus' though mebbe she went out t' save some'un else's world fo' a while."

Bumblebee half-smiled, and nodded. "That's closer to the truth than you think."

Jazz arched an optic ridge. "Oh yeh?"

"Yeah," The yellow mech looked up at the machine. "She's in another dimension – or reality, if you prefer."

Jazz blinked at Bumblebee. "Say wut?"

Bumblebee sighed. "It's…I don't really know how to explain it. Unicron's – something, I dunno – left behind a Takion trail. Takions are theorized as crossin dimensions, even time. Wheeljack could tell you more about it, but he could probably confuse you more, too." He chuckled. "But anyway, we -…what?"

Jazz stared at Bumblebee with a flat, unconvinced expression. "Takions…"

Bumblebee made a sound like clearing his throat. "I know it sounds farfetched, Jazz, but –"

"I guess 'Jack came up wit' dis." Jazz snorted, a smile cracking on one side of his mouth. "Sure sounds like it." He shifted like he was going to stand up, but paused. " 'ey, Bumblebee?"

"Yeah?" Bumblebee watched the silver mech's back.

"You got anythin' else you wanna tell me 'fore ah leave?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.

Bumblebee started. "A-anything…else?"

Jazz nodded. "Yeh. Like, anythin'," He turned his head so Bumblebee could see just one of his blue optics. "important. Mebbe life changin'."

Bumblebee stared at Jazz for a moment. The first thing that came to mind was the shuttle. When they were on the shuttle coming to Cybertron to save Jazz and the other Autobots captured by Unicron.

Jazz stood, and Bumblebee jumped. "She came to me!" He exclaimed. "I just want you to know this."

Jazz watched Bumblebee pensively.

"She came to me. She was upset." Bumblebee said.

Jazz's expression turned confused. "What?"

Bumblebee sighed. "I'm sorry, I – I haven't stopped feeling bad about betraying your trust, but she- I mean we –" Bumblebee paused. "Amy and I…are…sparkmates."

Jazz started. "What? Ah-I wuz talkin' 'bout yo' promotion!"

Bumblebee started. "My…promotion?" If he'd had a stomach, he would have felt sick. "Oh, right. Head of the training division now."

Jazz stared at Bumblebee for a good long minute. He looked like he wanted to say something, but just turned, and left.

"Major!" Bumblebee called after him, but the door closed on no reply.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ow." Amy gurgled, her cheek against something cold, and hard. She opened her optics, and sat there until they focused. "Oh! Ravage! Ravage?" Amy gasped seeing the white cat bot had been the thing stuck under her face. "Oh, Ravage." She whispered. "What are _you_ doing here?"

-**Light! Electric shock, and then it was _boom_****, and I tried to get away, but-I'm waving! Can you see me waving? Waving!- **It waved its paws at Amy, looking a bit manic.

"Oh, you poor thing, you're hysterical." Amy scooped up the cat bot in her arms, and held her as she looked around. It was too dark to tell where they were, but Amy could hear rustling.

**-Gone.-** Came the lonely text. **–All gone.-**

Amy nodded, and sniffed. "Yeah." She tried not to start crying. This was the worst time to start crying. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so so sorry."

The rustling got louder, and made both Amy and Ravage jump, and look around.

"RAAAAAAAH!" The rustling roared, and sounded just like someone pretending to roar with a deep, raor-ish voice.

"And we're running." Amy held Ravage tight as she turned tail, and ran into the dark, away from the rustling. She heard an unearthly screeching, and more roaring, this time like an animal – a _big_ animal. "Hold on, Ravage, hold on!"

Ravage propped her front paws on Amy's shoulder, and watched behind them. –**Big! Big coming! Big Biiiiiiig!-**

"I know, I know, I know!" Amy burst out of the door onto a moonlit beach, and into freezing cold water. "Water!" she gasped, and quickly backpedaled to look around. She saw a big city across the water, and behind her a jungle.

The rustling and roaring grew closer, and Amy prepared herself for a fight of some kind.

Ravage climbed up onto Amy's shoulders, and sat there whimpering.

"It's okay, girl. We're not going down. Not after what _we_ went through." She watched the trees ahead rustling more and more violently. "I'm not giving in!"

The rustling was right in front of them.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" She screamed.

A robotic tyrannosaur burst from the trees, and made a great show of roaring and stomping his feet.

Amy's optics grew wide.

Ravage let out a scream reminiscent of a little child. Amy looked at Ravage with a raised optic ridge.

Then she squealed, but it wasn't Ravage.

"What?" Amy turned to the t-rex that had its big mug in her face, sniffing. "Did you…make…?"

"MA!" came the delighted cry.

Amy's optics grew wide. "It can't be."

Little hands pulled the body up onto the dinosaur's head, and the sparkling grinned. "Mama!"

Amy's optics grew wide at the sight of her. "Calliope!" She beamed. "But…how?"

"Me Grimlock find baby on the beach. Her baby say she want her mama." He said gently as Calliope slid down his head into Amy's arms with a happy little coo.

Amy held Calliope close, and couldn't fight the tears streaming down her face. "You're here. I- I'm so sorry mommy couldn't save you. You must've been so scared."

Ravage leaned down, and nuzzled the baby's head with a pur.

**-Bad bots took her. She's here. So happy. So, so happy.-**

"Yeah," Amy hiccupped. "Me too."

Grimlock turned to leave.

Calliope twisted around, and reached out a hand. "Ah!" She whimpered. "Dow!"

Grimlock collapsed to the ground as if he were made of jelly.

Amy gawked. "uhh…"

"Why for baby tell me Grimlock go down?" The dinosaur lifted his head to look behind him.

"DOW!" Calliope shrieked.

Grimlock's head dropped back to the ground.

"Oh." Amy walked around Grimlock, and examined his head. "Are you…okay?"

Grimlock sighed. "Me Grimlock no like this game."

Calliope waved her arm at Grimlock and babbled at him as if she were scolding him.

Amy chuckled. "I – um – I think she doesn't want you to leave."

"Appi!" Calliope squeaked.

Grimlock slowly stood up, and stretched.

"Appi!" Calliope held her arms out to Grimlock.

"Oh. You want…er…what's your name?" Amy inquired of Grimlock.

The dinosaur grumbled. "Me Grimlock."

Amy smiled. "I'm Blazer." She started. It had rolled so easily off her glossa that time…

Calliope grabbed the fron of Grimlock's face, and Amy pushed her up onto the dinobot's head.

"Go!" Calliope pointed ahead.

Grimlock started walking.

"Ah, wait, hey!" Amy chased after Grimlock as he walked deeper into the jungle again. "Hey, um, Grimlock? Are you the only – er – _thing_ out here?"

"This dinobot island." Grimlock said.

Amy paused. Ravage made a desperate sound, jumped off of Amy's shoulders, and ran to catch up with Grimlock.

"MA!" Calliope shouted.

Amy hurried after the dinosaur as he didn't wait for the red-orange femme to catch up. As they walked, Amy tried to get a fix on her location, but how, she wondered, could she know where she is – when she wasn't sure _where_ this is. I've warped – so to speak, she told herself. That was the same thing that happened before.

On Diego Garcia, Amy had inexplicably collapsed in a fit of what could only be construed as electrocution, though it didn't seem to leave any lasting damage. Although, when she had arrived on Diego Garcia, Amy recalled not being able to speak. She gently rubbed her throat, thankful that hadn't happened again – it was really inconvenient, the whole not-being-able-to-speak thing.

Amy bumped into Grimlock's rear leg, unaware that the dinobot had stopped walking. "Oomf." She grunted then walked around the T-Rex's large hind quarters, and paused next to where he stood.

Ahead of them, a robot was walking through the woods. Amy caught a glimpse of black, and yellow, and backed up until she was standing against Grimlock's leg. She shook her head slowly as she watched the bot pass them, and walk on.

"No," Amy whispered. "It's not Shadow. It's not Shadow."

"Ma!" Calliope pointed at Amy then to something the little one could see from atop Grimlock's head. "Ah!"

"That's nice, baby." Amy murmured as she looked around. "Hey, Grimlock," Amy shuffled up to the dinosaur's head as he leaned down much to Calliope's glee. "There's…um…someone who might be here, but I don't wanna see."

"Uh…" Grimlock blinked. "Me Grimlock not know what you lady bot are talking about."

Amy sighed. "Keep your eyes peeled for a black bot with red optics. He's…he's not bad, but..." she looked around again.

"Okay lady, me Grimlock keep eyes peeled." Grimlock said.

Amy turned, and looked around again. She saw the same silhouette walk parallel to where she stood, but this time it paused, and faced her.

"Grimlooock." Amy backed away from the silhouette.

Grimlock turned. "Me Grimlock, SMASH!"

Calliope giggled, and clapped atop Grimlock's head.

Two light flashed on, spotlighting Amy in the dark. Amy held up her hands to block the blinding beams, and turned her head away.

"Aa! N-nice Grimlock. Good Dinobot. Prime! He's over here! Prime!" A young, panicked voice stammered.

"Hey. Mind getting' your high beams outta my face?" Amy shielded her optics until the lights turned away.

"Hey, who're you? Are you – uh – with _him_?" The bot moved closer. "Oh, sorry. We were just looking – AA! Don't eat me!"

Amy looked up to see Grimlock turned toward a short, yellow bot with a black stripe down his front, mouth open.

Calliope shrieked. "No!"

Grimlock paused, growled, and closed his mouth.

Amy looked up at Calliope. "Oh wow." She looked back to Grimlock. "My baby daughter controls the dinosaur."

"Baby what- hey! You shouldn't be up there!" The yellow bot pointed up to Calliope.

"Oh." Calliope said. "Ga dow!" She said.

Grimlock lowered his head until Calliope climbed unsteadily from his nose. She toddled a couple of feet then fell on her butt.

"Dow!" Calliope pointed to the ground.

The yellow bot leaped backward with a yelp as Grimlock collapsed to the ground as he had before, his nose inches from Calliope's delighted face.

"Woah," The yellow mech blinked at the downed dinobot. "Dinobot does what itty bitty tells him to?" He started.

"Yup." Amy smiled. "That's my girl."

"Goo boy." Calliope patted Grimlock's nose reverently.

Grimlock grumbled, but didn't protest any.

"By the way," Amy stepped closer to the yellow mech. "My name's Blazer." It was getting almost scary the way the false name had become second nature. Maybe it shouldn't be false anymore, Amy thought.

Grimlock gurgled as Calliope stroked his nose, and kissed it. The dinobot immidiately righted himself, transformed, and began stammering. "Me Grimlock not kisser! Me Grimlock King!"

Amy gawked at the towering robot. "Oh."

Bumblebee shrieked. "B-bossbot! Y-you better get here quiiick!"

The front end of a firetruck burst through the trees, and transformed mid-air into a bot Amy vaguely recognized. "Prime, there!"

"You didn't think to _do _anything about it?" Prime exclaimed.

Amy stared at the red-chested bot who came tromping out of the forest. "Prime." She whispered. "Optimus Prime?" Amy asked louder.

He turned, and raised an optic ridge at the femme. "Do I know you?"

Amy started, and shook her head. "No. I – uh – I heard your name somewhere, that's all. It's, um, it's nice to meet you." She babbled.

"Oh," Optimus sighed, and rolled his optics. "Yeah, thanks. Hey Grimlock," he slowly approached the dinobot. "Come on, we gotta go. We already have Snarl and Swoop at the ship."

Grimlock turned around to face Optimus, and growled at the mech.

"What the?" Optimus started, seeing Calliope on Grimlock's head.

"Raaawr!" Calliope imitated Grimlock, holding her arms up in mock claws. "Raaaaaaawr!"

Bumblebee busted up laughing, and doubled over. "She -! She- ahahahahaha!"

"Thanks, Bumblebee, that's not helping." Optimus frowned at the yellow bot then turned, and looked up at the little femme sparkling on Grimlock's head. "You up there!"

"My?" Calliope put her hand on her chest.

"Yes!" Optimus called. "You need to come down now!"

"uhh, no." Calliope shook her head, and waved a hand.

Optimus chuckled so he wouldn't get frustrated with the little one. "Yes, you need to come down now."

Amy stepped away from the tree she had been standing against, and approached. "Her name is Calliope." She said.

Optimus looked at the red-orange femme. "Oh." He looked up again. "Is she a friend of yours?"

Amy smiled. "She's," She nodded. "She's my duagher. Yeah."

Optimus started. "Oh." He looked up then back at Amy. "Your what?"

Amy nodded slowly, her lips pursed. "Okay, Hey Callie, you gotta get down now so these bots can leave!" She held up her arms, and wiggled her fingers at Calliope.

Calliope let out a deep sigh. "Ah go dow."

Grimlock lowered his head. "Aw." He whined as Calliope climbed off, and into Amy's arms.

Once there, Calliope squealed, giggled, and rubbed her head on Amy's chassis.

"Aww, baby girl," Amy hugged and patted her infant. "You're sleepy, I know."

Calliope yawned, and rubbed her hand against her face. "No seep." She mumbled.

Amy sighed. "Okay. No sleep."

Calliope stuck one thumb in her mouth, her eyes drooping so low they may have already been closed.

"Are you asleep?" Amy brushed her fingers against the sparkling's cheek. "Yeah, you're asleep." She smiled.

Optimus turned. "Come on, Grimlock."

"Prime!" Bumblebee exclaimed, and without saying a word, gestured wildly to Amy and Calliope.

Optimus turned to the red-orange femme and the infant. "I don't suppose you want to come with us, do you?"

Amy shrugged as she bouced Calliope a little. "Sure. Where we going?"

"Cybertron." Said Optimus.

"Oh," Amy turned, and looked at the lake, and the city beyond. "So what's that over there?"

"That's Detrot." Said Bumblebee. "It's cool. Our friend Sari lives there."

Optimus turned back the way he'd come. "You're welcome to come with us, um..what's your name?"

"Blazer." Amy said. "And I'd love to come with you." She smiled.

"Great!" Bumblebee cheered. "Maybe you'll have better luck getting big and dangerous there to come quietly."

Amy shrugged, glanced at Grimlock, and said. "I dunno. Maybe." She looked to Optimus. "So which way are we going?"

"Just follow me." Said Optimus.

Grimlock bent down low, and growled. "Cars baaad."

Amy pouted. "I'm sorry you feel that way. Calliope's going this way." She gestured with her elbow toward Optimus.

"Uhh," Grimlock looked distraught. "Her baby go that way?" he asked, tilting his head.

Amy nodded. "Uh huh. She goes this way. Better follow 'cause she'll be really upset if she wakes up and you're not there."

The ship Optimus mentioned was a large, blue ship that rivaled the size of the island they were on.

"wow." Amy tilted her head back, and looked up at the ship. "That's a helluva ship ya got here, Optimus."

"It's the Elite Guard Flagship." Optimus said as he stepped aboard, glancing back at Grimlock.

Amy looked to where Grimlock was slowly walking up, fixated on the baby. He paused, and glanced up, stared at the ship for amoment then narrowed his dinosaur eyes, and growled.

"You bots trick me Grimlooooock!" He roared, and transformed.

Calliope started fussing, and woke up quite unhappy, and sobbing.

"Oh, way to go dinosaur!" Amy snapped. "You woke up the baby!" She stomped a foot. "Now she's gonna cry the whole way, and it's all your fault!" amy shouted, though she wasn't sure that was really true, but Optimus had stressed on their way to the ship the importance that Grimlock and the dinobots come back to Cybertron.

Grimlock stumbled backward until he sat back, watching Amy with a shocked expression. "Me Grimlock wake baby?"

"Yes!" Amy exclaimed. "You Grimlock woke the baby! Now she's sad because I'm sure she hasn't gotten any sleep lately."

Grimlock stammered, and rasied his sword. "But – Me Grimlock no like you!" he swung his sword down, and hit on Amy's barrier.

"what the?" Bumblebee started.

Optimus just watched.

Amy shook her head at Grimlock, her eyes glowing almost white. "Do _not_ swing that sword at my baby, Dino_bot_! Now _get on that transport before I rip you up from the inside out."_

Grimlock stared at the femme then slowly walked past her, and onto the ship.

On the ship, four bots stood on the bridge, all amazed at Grimlock's silence, and wanting to meet the bot who had gotten him on with little to no argument.

"Oh, Callie, come on!" Amy all but whined, starting to feel ready for a stasis nap herself.

The little bot ran onto the ship, and in her excitement at the new place, forgot her exhaustion.

"Wheeee!" Calliope squealed, trodding awkwardly up to Snarl the triceratops dinobot, and the niggled when he snorted at her.

"Cray-zy." Said Jazz, leaning against the console behind him. "What is that groovy little bot called?"

"She's called Calliope." Amy said, looking at Jazz, and pausing. Her mouth opened slightly, and hung there as she stared at him.

Jazz shifted, glanced down then back up at Amy, and smiled. "Hey."

Amy smiled tentatively. "Hey yourself."

"MA-AAA!" Calliope squealed and jumped up and down.

"Well I'll be sparkless." Ratchet blinked at the little bot.

"Aww, she's kinda cute." Bulkhead grinned.

"What _is_ that thing?" Sentinel Prime scoffed with disdain.

Amy frowned, and turned a slight glare on Sentinel Prime.

"Down some coolant, S.P., the little tyke ain't hurtin' a bot. 'Sides," He crouched down. "I think she's kinda cute."

Amy smiled again.

Calliope ran circles around the bridge, squealing and giggling.

"Yeah, she's cute, and she's exhausted." Amy walked up, and stood in Calliope's path. The little sparkling did a u-turn, and ran away from Amy. She toddled behind Swoop, and crouched there, "hidden".

Amy sighed, and shook her head. "Kids."

"She's a cutie." Said Jazz.

Amy nodded his way. "Yeah," Then she turned back to where Calliope was "hiding", and gasped. "Where did she go?" She took a step to the side, scratching her head. "Did she disappear?" she walked slowly to the right of Swoop. "Did she turn i_nvisible_?"

Calliope giggled.

"Oh well," Amy pulled a box out of her largest pouch. "Guess I'll have to eat these Energon goodies aaall by myseeeelf. Ho-hum." She took one out, and started to eat it.

"My, my, my!" Calliope ran out, arms reaching for the energon goody.

"Oh! Wuh- baby, _there_ you are!" Amy propped her hands on her hips. "Where did you come from?"

Calliope pointed at Swoop's feet. "I go daw."

Amy picked Calliope up. "You were hiding? Oh, you're such a good hider. Now," she held up the energon goody. "You can have this, but you have to take a nap, too, okay?"

" 'Tay." Calliope took the treat, and popped it in her mouth.

"Okay," Amy held out her hand, and Calliope grasped it as she stuck her opposite thumb in her mouth. "Let's find a good place to take a nap."

Grimlock strode after the pair, gurgling softly.

"You gonna take a nap, too, Grimlock?" Amy asked as they walked.

Grimlock's step faltered. The dinobot glanced back at the Autobots standing on the bridge.

"GEW!" Calliope shrieked.

Grimlock trotted after the pair, grumbling softly. "Me Grimlock not follow. Me Grimlock go same direction as you femmbot and her baby. But me Grimlock not _follow_."


End file.
